Grants and Contracts Details
Description
The basic research program of the nuclear structure group at the University of Kentucky
(UK) focuses on timely, related topics in nuclear spectroscopy, neutron-induced reactions,
neutron-emitting reactions, and neutron scattering. Most of this work will utilize fast neutrons
produced at the University's accelerator laboratory and the "(-ray and neutron detection
capabilities developed in this laboratory. Collaborative research with colleagues from other
institutions is emphasized.
Nuclear structure studies at UK are primarily oriented toward exploring multiphonon
vibrational excitations of the quadrupole and octupole types in nearly spherical nuclei,
examining transition rates of decays from collective excitations, defining the roles of protons and
neutrons in collective modes, and understanding nuclear shell structure and the nature of nuclear
shape transitions. Lifetime measurements with the Doppler-shift method and "(-"(coincidence
measurements, for which the methodology has been developed over many years in our
laboratory, provide crucial information in many of these investigations. Studies of isospin
symmetry with helium-ion-induced reactions define a complementary research direction for our
program. Carefully selected projects that are particularly appropriate to the capabilities and
facilities of the UK accelerator laboratory will be pursued.
Education at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate levels continues to be an integral
part of all activities in our laboratory and, of course, graduates of this program contribute to the
supply of trained nuclear scientists. Providing a supportive professional experience for students
in nuclear science at the University of Kentucky is an ongoing, vital component of our program,
and these students enthusiastically participate in national and international scientific meetings
and the activities of professional societies. Female students form an unusually large component
of our research group.
For many years, the research facilities of our laboratory have been made available to students
and faculty from non-doctoral-granting institutions, as well as other research universities and
national laboratories, and research collaborations have been encouraged. Colleagues at UK and
from other institutions frequently take advantage of our laboratory facilities to obtain information
that may be crucial for the design of experiments at larger facilities, e.g., TRIUMF, LANSCE, and
JLAB, or in other areas of physics.
Research performed in our laboratory is directly applicable to problems of national interest
and homeland security. These applications are well represented by the activities of government
and industrial partners who utilize our accelerator and research equipment. For example, recent
collaborative studies with industry have led to improved neutron-detection-based methods for the
inspection of luggage for explosives and illegal drugs. In addition, we maintain the capacity to
perform elemental analysis using techniques such as particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE),
particle-induced "(-ray emission (PIGE), and Rutherford backscattering (RBS) analysis. Our
facilities have been utilized by a local elemental analysis company for a variety of applications.
In each case, the unique capabilities were important considerations in the selection of our
laboratory for this work.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 7/1/07 → 6/30/11 |
Funding
- National Science Foundation: $780,000.00
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