RUI: Nuclear Science with Undergraduate Researchers: Studies of Nuclei at the Extremes and New Applications of Nuclear Techniques

基础核物理学处理与原子核的结构和行为有关的问题。 特别是有关核力的具体形式的问题和有关宇宙中重元素如何形成的问题令人感兴趣。 这项工作的一个组成部分将涉及测量稀有同位素束设施中富含中子的不稳定原子核的结构，作为 MoNA（模块化中子阵列）合作的一部分。 这些测量结果使理论学家能够完善核力模型。 第二个部分是利用 CARIBU 测量放射性富中子核的衰变情况，作为阿贡国家实验室 SuN（Summing NaI）合作的一部分。 为了全面了解中子星合并和超新星中重元素是如何形成的，需要这些信息。 将使用 Hope College 1.7 MV 粒子加速器研究一系列应用问题，该加速器能够进行粒子诱导 X 射线光谱、粒子诱导伽马射线光谱和卢瑟福反向散射光谱。 这些分析工具可用于测量各种液体和固体样品中存在的元素和整体结构。 最后，该奖项将支持针对 K-12 学生所在地区的核科学教育推广计划希望学院核小组积极参与两项大型合作：一项是模块化中子阵列 (MoNA) 合作（由 Paul Gueye 和其他 FRIB 研究人员以及来自一些 PUI 机构的研究人员领导），另一个是 Summing NaI (SuN) 小组（由 Artemis Spyrou、FRIB 研究人员和其他国内和国际合作者领导）。 作为这项工作范围的一部分，核小组还将与 LPC-Caen 核结构小组（RIKEN SAMURAI 合作的一部分）合作。 希望本科生参与规划、运行实验、数据分析、探测器开发、探测器构建、多中子识别算法开发和稿件准备。 尤其是，Nuclear Group 主要负责 MoNA 触发逻辑和 SuN 磁带目标控制。 目前，FRIB 即将进行两项 PAC 批准的 MoNA 实验：一项重点关注未结合的 30F，另一项重点关注 53Ca 的未结合态。 除了在阿贡国家实验室与 CARIBU 进行的一系列 SuN 实验外，特别值得注意的是在 FRIB (PAC1) 上基于 128Ag 光束的模块化全吸收光谱仪 (MTAS) 实验和基于 73As 的 ReA 实验，其中部分装置，即反宇宙射线屏蔽，是之前在希望学院建造的。 希望学院的学生研究人员将继续参与、分析（专门提取贝塔强度函数）并发布这些机会的结果。 Nuclear Group 还将与 Hope 内部和外部的其他研究小组合作，利用粒子诱导 X 射线发射光谱 (PIXE)、粒子诱导伽马射线发射光谱 (PIGE) 和卢瑟福背散射光谱 (RBS) 以及具有微聚焦能力的 Hope 1.7 MV 加速器来表征样品。 这将包括尝试使用 PIGE 提高水中 PFAS 污染的检测限。 最后，PI 将与 ExploreHope 学术推广合作，与 K-12 学生合作。该项目推进了“宇宙之窗：多信使天体物理学时代”的目标，这是未来 NSF 投资的 10 大创意之一。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Fundamental nuclear physics deals with questions related to the structure and behavior of nuclei. In particular, questions about the specific form of the nuclear force and questions about how heavy elements are formed in the universe are of interest. One component of this work will involve measuring the structure of very neutron-rich, unstable nuclei at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams as part of the MoNA (Modular Neutron Array) collaboration. These measurements allow theorists to refine models of the nuclear force. A second component will be to measure how radioactive neutron-rich nuclei decay with CARIBU as part of the SuN (Summing NaI) collaboration at Argonne National Laboratories. This information is needed for a complete understanding of how heavy elements are formed in neutron star mergers and supernovas. A range of applied questions will be investigated with the Hope College 1.7 MV particle accelerator, which is capable of particle-induced x-ray spectroscopy, particle induced gamma-ray spectroscopy, and Rutherford backscatter spectroscopy. These analytic tools can be applied to measure the elements present in and overall structure of a wide variety of liquid and solid samples. Lastly, this award will support a nuclear science educational outreach program to area under served K-12 studentsThe Hope College Nuclear Group is very involved with two large collaborations: One is the Modular Neutron Array (MoNA) collaboration (led by Paul Gueye and other FRIB researchers along with researchers from a number of PUI institutions) and the other is the Summing NaI (SuN) group (led by Artemis Spyrou, FRIB researchers, and other national and international collaborators). The Nuclear group will also collaborate with the LPC-Caen Nuclear Structure Group (part of the SAMURAI collaboration at RIKEN) as part of the scope of this work. Hope undergraduates will participate in planning, running experiments, data analysis, detector development, detector construction, multi-neutron identification algorithm development, and manuscript preparation. In particular, the Nuclear Group has major responsibility for MoNA trigger logic and SuN tape target control. Currently there are two PAC-approved MoNA experiments upcoming at FRIB: one focused on unbound 30F and the other on unbound states in 53Ca. In addition to a number of SuN experiments to be conducted with CARIBU at Argonne National Laboratories, of special note is a Modular Total Absorption Spectrometer (MTAS) based experiment with beams around 128Ag at FRIB (PAC1 ) and a ReA experiment, based on 73As, of which part of the setup, the anti-cosmic ray shield, was previously constructed at Hope College. Student researchers at Hope College will continue to participate, analyze (specializing on extraction of beta intensity functions), and publish results from these opportunities. The Nuclear Group will also work with other research groups, inside and outside of Hope, to characterize samples with Particle Induced X-ray Emission spectroscopy (PIXE), Particle Induced Gamma-ray Emission spectroscopy (PIGE), and Rutherford Backscatter spectroscopy (RBS) along with the Hope 1.7 MV accelerator, which includes microfocusing ability. This will include attempts to improve detection limits of PFAS contamination in water with PIGE. Lastly the PIs will partner with the ExploreHope Academic Outreach to work with K-12 students.This project advances the objectives of "Windows on the Universe: the Era of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics", one of the 10 Big Ideas for Future NSF Investments.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.