RUI: Using MoNA, Exploring Neutron Unbound States in Nuclei Near and Beyond the Neutron Dripline

该项目使用模块化中子阵列（莫纳）研究非常富中子同位素的核特性。这些同位素的核结构特别有趣，因为我们目前对原子核的大部分知识都是通过研究自然产生的同位素而建立的，这些同位素的中子和质子数量几乎相等。莫纳合作将测量几个中子未束缚核的衰变能量。这些测量将有助于改进核质量模型，并检查这些非常富含中子的同位素的核结构的演变，特别是当最后几个中子与原子核的结合非常弱时。我们希望研究从铍到近氧和氟的几种同位素，包括原子质量为25的未结合氧核（比原子质量为16的最常见的稳定同位素多9个中子）。模块化中子阵列由本科生建造，并继续以设计的方式使用，让学生参与实验工作和数据分析。 莫纳合作是一组来自九所学院和大学的教师和学生，他们共同研究接近或稍微超出中子滴线的原子核结构（那里没有中子数量更多的粒子稳定同位素）。实验工作将在密歇根州立大学的国家超导回旋加速器实验室进行。本研究的重点是富中子氧和碳同位素的结构。这两项研究活动的一个明确但不太明显的结果是，一些本科生将有机会在他们科学生涯的最初几年参与令人兴奋的核研究。

This project uses the Modular Neutron Array (MoNA) to study the nuclear properties of very neutron-rich isotopes. The nuclear structure of these isotopes is particularly interesting as much of our current knowledge of atomic nuclei has been built up by studying the naturally occurring isotopes, which have nearly equal numbers of neutrons and protons. The MoNA collaboration will measure the decay energy of several neutron-unbound nuclei. These measurements will help to refine nuclear mass models and to examine the evolution of nuclear structure in these very neutron-rich isotopes, particularly as the last few neutrons become only very weakly bound to the nucleus. We hope to study several such isotopes in the region from beryllium to near oxygen and fluorine, including the unbound oxygen nucleus with an atomic mass of 25 (nine more neutrons than the most common stable isotope, which has an atomic mass of 16).The Modular Neutron Array was built by undergraduates, and continues to be used in ways that are designed involve students in experimental work and data analysis. The MoNA collaboration is a group of faculty and students from nine colleges and universities that work together to study the structure of nuclei close to or slightly beyond the neutron dripline (where there are no particle stable isotopes with a greater number of neutrons). The experimental work will be carried out at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University. The focus of this research is on the structure of the neutron rich oxygen and carbon isotopes. One clear but less tangible result of both of these research activities will be that several undergraduate students will have the opportunity to participate in exciting nuclear research during the earliest years of their scientific careers.