Catalyst Award: Nuclear Science at Virginia State University, Building Connections to FRIB Science

催化剂项目为历史悠久的黑人学院和大学(HBCU)提供支持，以努力建立教职员工的研究能力，以加强科学、技术、工程和数学本科教育和研究。预计该奖项将进一步提高教职员工的研究能力，改善学院的研究和教学，并让本科生参与研究经验。弗吉尼亚州立大学的这个项目旨在建立一个核科学研究小组，在密歇根州立大学的稀有同位素束设施(FRIB)调查氧同位素的非中子束缚状态。这项拟议的工作集中在两个领域：(1)分析过去与国家超导回旋实验室(NSCL)的MONA(模块中子阵列)合作进行的测量数据，以及(2)开发新的分段靶来探测丰中子核的结构。前者(1)将检查各种衰变通道的过去测量，以便提取关于27O能级结构的信息。它将涉及计算机编程，以分析和可视化数据，并使用GEANT4工具包进行模拟以解释结果。这一数据集是在第一次实验期间记录的，该实验利用一个新的分段靶，旨在增加放射性同位素束(RIB)实验的统计数据，以使用不变质谱学技术研究中子非束缚系统。后者(2)将帮助设计、测试和建造升级的目标系统--MONA实验的多层有源目标，该系统将使用基于气体电子倍增器的探测器来跟踪传出的反应和衰变碎片。将开发GEANT4模拟作为设计过程的一部分，并用于未来将使用MAME的实验的数据分析。由此产生的装置将提供一种测量中子非束缚系统的新工具，从而为正在进行的原子核丰富结构的研究做出贡献。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。

Catalyst Projects provide support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to work towards establishing research capacity of faculty to strengthen science, technology, engineering and mathematics undergraduate education and research. It is expected that the award will further the faculty member's research capability, improve research and teaching at the institution and involve undergraduate students in research experiences. The project at Virginia State University seeks to establish a nuclear science research group that will investigate neutron-unbound states of oxygen isotopes at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University.This proposed work focuses on two areas: (1) analysis of data from past measurements performed with the MoNA (the Modular Neutron Array) Collaboration at National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) and (2) the development of a new segmented target to probe the structure of neutron rich nuclei. The former (1) will examine past measurements of various decay channels in order to extract information about the 27O level structure. It will involve computer programming to analyze and visualize the data as well as perform simulations using the GEANT4 toolkit to interpret the results. This data set was recorded during the first experiment to utilize a new segmented target designed to increase statistics for Radioactive Isotope Beam (RIB) experiments to study neutron-unbound systems using the invariant mass spectroscopy technique. The latter (2) will help inform the design, testing and construction of an upgraded target system, the Multilayered Active target for MoNA Experiments (MAME), that will use a gas electron multiplier (GEM) based detector to track the outgoing reaction and decay fragments. A GEANT4 simulation will be developed as part of the design process and for use in the data analysis of future experiments that will use MAME. The resulting device will provide a new tool for measuring neutron-unbound systems thus contributing to the ongoing investigation of the rich structure of atomic nuclei.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.