Project Description: |
As the ability to accelerate exotic radioactive nuclear beams has developed at different accelerators around the country, we have developed an ambitious program in this area of study using the accelerators at the National Superconducting Cyclotron at Michigan State University and the Nuclear Structure Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame. In collaboration with the NSCL, Hope College was one of nine schools that constructed the MoNA detector, a 144-element neutron detector (4 tons!). With this device we study the structure of nuclei far from stability such as 25O or 16Be. The Nuclear Group has been involved in most of the experiments done with MoNA. Using the TwinSol facility at ND, the effect of the neutron skin of the 6He nucleus on reaction dynamics near the Coulomb barrier is studied. We have found that this skin enhances the probability of fusion near the barrier. Our present studies aim to understand the interplay between one-neutron transfer, two-neutron transfer, and projectile breakup mechanisms and how the neutron-skin structure of this nucleus impacts these interactions. The current focus is to understand the breakup of 6He as it passes through a target. This work utilizes two large-area (5ft by 5ft in 8 segments) plastic, position-sensitive neutron detectors that were constructed by the Hope Nuclear Group. Students working on these projects will be involved in detector construction, running experiments, analyzing data (including such things as detector calibration, particle identification, and gating), modeling, and presenting results. |
