RUI: Nuclear Physics at Hope College With Undergraduates: New Science Enhancing the STEM Workforce

宇宙中元素的丰度，特别是那些原子序数大于铁的元素，取决于各种富含中子的原子核的核性质，其中许多是在超新星和中子星合并中形成的。这些核的性质由强核力和弱核力决定，Pi和他的学生将通过研究中子线附近富中子核的结构来探索核力的特殊微妙之处。此外，核物理技术和技术将与霍普学院加速器相结合，以表征从电沉积薄膜到超导体到环境样品的各种样品。本科生研究人员将在所有这些努力中发挥核心作用。与MONA合作的其他研究人员一样，BE-13中最低自旋和宇称能级(1/2负)的能量测量已经获得批准，并将于2020年用光谱仪进行。希望学院的研究人员将尽快参与第二次合作实验，重点是F-28。这两个实验都需要将莫纳转移到国家超导回旋实验室的一个新金库中。希望研究人员继续分析对天体物理感兴趣的Ni-61、Ni-63和Rb-71的贝塔衰变。Summing NaI(太阳)探测器配备了一个移动的带状目标，周围环绕着霍普学院制造的Beta探测器。希望研究人员能参与NSCL和Argonne的几个已获批准的实验，重点放在那些需要太阳探测器的实验上(包括对Sm、Br、I、Sn等的研究)。最后，当地的霍普加速器将被用来应用粒子诱导的伽马射线发射、粒子诱导的X射线发射和卢瑟福背向散射光谱来表征一系列样品，并与霍普和外部的其他研究小组合作。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The abundance of the elements in the universe, especially those with atomic number greater than iron, depend on the nuclear properties of a wide variety of neutron-rich nuclei, many of which are formed in supernovas and neutron star mergers. The properties of these nuclei are determined by the strong and weak nuclear forces and the PI and his students will explore the specific subtleties of the nuclear force by studying the structure of neutron-rich nuclei near the neutron dripline. In addition, nuclear physics techniques and technology will be combined with the Hope College accelerator to characterize a wide variety of samples ranging from electrodeposited films to superconductors to environmental samples. Undergraduate researchers will play a central role in all of these efforts.Along with other researchers in the MoNA Collaboration, a measurement of the energy of the lowest spin and parity level (1/2 minus) in Be-13 has been approved and will be made with the spectrometer in 2020. As soon as possible, Hope College researchers will participate in a second collaboration experiment with a focus on F-28. Both of these experiments will require moving MoNA into a new vault at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. Hope researchers will continue to analyze the beta decay of Ni-61, Ni-63 and Rb-71, which are of astrophysical interest. The Summing NaI (SuN) detector has been equipped with a moving tape target surrounded by a beta detector fabricated at Hope College. Hope researchers will participate in several approved experiments at the NSCL and Argonne with special emphasis on those requiring the SuN detector (including studies of Sm, Br, I, Sn, and others). Lastly, the local Hope accelerator will be used to apply particle-induced gamma-ray emission, particle-induced x-ray emission, and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy to characterize a range of samples in partnership with other research groups from Hope and outside.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.