RUI: Collaboration to Enhance Participation of Minority and Undergraduate Students in Nuclear Science

该奖项支持一个合作核物理研究项目，该项目将进一步加深我们对中子与质子比率高的核素的了解，这些核素很有趣，因为它们表现出在稳定核素中观察不到的行为。实验将在国家超导回旋加速器实验室（NSCL）进行，并在建设完成后为即将到来的稀有同位素光束设施做好“第一天”准备。实验内容包括：研究重核在分裂前的激发态，探索和表征铍核的特殊状态，测量镁的激发态的分离能，以及研究和开发一种新的粒子探测器。本科生和研究生将与几所美国机构的教师合作，进一步开展这项工作，并学习宝贵的高技术技能。这些项目将通过同行评审进行评估，并通过在国家会议上的演讲、博士论文和期刊文章进行传播。该奖项的pi是MoNA-LISA合作项目的成员，他们计划的实验将利用国家科学实验室合作开发的设备的能力（模块化中子阵列和大面积闪烁阵列）。富含中子的核素寿命非常短，并通过快速中子发射而衰变，使MoNA-LISA系统成为研究这些原子核的理想工具。项目包括分析数据，实施新技术以更好地识别和分辨同分异构体核状态，测量富中子核中的中子非束缚态，描述相对论光束与目标相互作用后的预碎裂动力学，以及研究和开发新的基于气体电子倍增器的分段目标。未来的实验集中在高Z核素上，这在目前的实验设置下是可能的。学生将学习在研究的各个方面使用的宝贵技能，包括探测器的构建，数据收集和分析，以及传播。

This award supports a collaborative nuclear physics research program that will further our knowledge of nuclides with high ratios of neutrons to protons, which are interesting because they exhibit behavior not observed in stable nuclides. Experiments will be carried out at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) and be "day-one" ready for the upcoming Facility for Rare Isotope Beams when construction is complete. The experiments include: investigating heavy nuclei in excited states shortly before they fragment, exploring and characterizing particular states of beryllium nuclei, measuring separation energies of excited states of magnesium, as well as research and development of a new particle detector. Undergraduate and graduate students will collaborate with faculty at several US institutions to further this work and learn valuable highly technical skills. The projects will be evaluated through peer review and disseminated through presentations at national conferences, Ph.D. theses, and journal articles.The PIs of this award are members of the MoNA-LISA collaboration, and the experiments they have planned will exploit the capabilities of the equipment that was developed at NSCL by the collaboration (a modular neutron array and a large area scintillation array). Neutron-rich nuclides are very short-lived and decay by prompt neutron emission, making the MoNA-LISA system the ideal tool to investigate these nuclei. Projects include analyzing data, implementing novel techniques to identify better and resolve isomeric nuclear states, measuring neutron-unbound states in neutron-rich nuclei, characterizing pre-fragmentation dynamics after relativistic beams interact with targets, as well as research and development toward a new gas electron multiplier based segmented target. Future experiments focus on higher Z nuclides that are possible with the current experimental setup. The students will learn valuable skills utilized in all facets of research including detector construction, data collection and analysis, and dissemination.