Studies of Nuclear Structure and Nuclear Astrophysics

This award supports experimental nuclear physics research at Florida State University (FSU). FSU researchers perform experiments at the on-campus John D. Fox Superconducting Accelerator Laboratory and at national laboratories in the US and around the world. This research pursues two overarching goals. The first goal is to measure nuclear reactions that take place in stellar explosions. These reactions are responsible for producing most of the naturally occurring elements in the universe. The second goal is to measure and understand the behavior of exotic nuclei – isotopes that have too many neutrons or too few neutrons to be stable. All of this research is performed in close collaboration with theoretical physicists at both FSU and elsewhere. The Fox Laboratory’s research program is one of the nation’s most important training grounds for nuclear scientists at both the Ph.D. and undergraduate levels. A collaboration between the FSU laboratory and the Mayo clinic in Jacksonville is investigating the parameters of cancer therapy in preparation for the first carbon ion therapy facility in North America. The scientists supported by this award will conduct laboratory experiments to determine the rates at which reactions occur in exploding stars, and thereby understand the abundances of elements in the universe. These experiments will also lead to a better interpretation of the energy release and nucleosynthesis outcomes by calibrating the relevant nuclear reactions. The experiments with exotic nuclei will provide rigorous tests of our understanding of the behavior of all nuclei. More specifically, these measurements will provide an understanding of shell evolution from stable to neutron-rich nuclei. Further, the development of a triton beam will give the lab unique capabilities to study (t,p) reactions such as 49T(t,p) to distinguish between the f5/2 and f7/2 neutron states in 51Ti. 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.