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Experimental work in nuclear physics is concentrated in the group of Professor
Sobotka (joint group with chemistry), and in the High-Energy
Astrophysics Group. The main focus is on reaction mechanisms
involving heavy ions that reveal fundamental properties of nuclei,
as well as the behavior of nuclei under cosmic-ray bombardment. Experimental
work is being conducted by Professor Sobotka to elucidate heavy ion
reaction mechanisms from near barrier to relativistic energies. Current work in this area includes study of incomplete fusion reactions and the properties of nuclei under extreme conditions. The excitation energy and angular momentum dependence of large fragment decay has been one of Professor Sobotka's major interests. Recently, Professor Sobotka and his group have built a 4pi charged particle detection system, called the Dwarf Ball, and used it to decompose incomplete fusion reactions into various reaction channels. Other recent work includes efforts to elucidate the mechanism for high energy photon production in heavy ion collisions, and fast timing (< 10-18 sec) techniques based on inner shell X-ray atomic clocks and particle-particle interferometry. Heavy ion fragmentation cross-sections on various targets are being investigated by Professor Binns in the High-Energy Astrophysics Group, using a high resolution detector exposed at heavy ion accelerators such as the AGS at Brookhaven National Laboratory. These cross-sections are essential to the identification of the sources and the understanding of acceleration mechanisms of cosmic rays that are detected near Earth after traveling for considerable distances through the interstellar regions where many of the particles suffer fragmentation in their collisions with interstellar matter. |
Experimental: Nuclear Physics