REU Projects for 1999
In the REU program, each student is assigned to a primary research faculty member. Most of the research efforts involve multiple faculty members, postdocs and graduate students. Each student works within the research group, with the primary responsibility assigned to one professor. The supervising faculty may also include visiting faculty from universities other than the three primary institutions.
In previous years, we have had success coordinating undergraduates with reasonable projects that can be completed during a summer. At TUNL, the primary emphasis is for students to experience hands-on experimental physics. In some cases, a computational based project was done for more theoretically inclined students.
Examples of projects completed by undergraduates during the 1999 summer at TUNL are: (Note, TUNL faculty are listed in italic.)
Nuclear resonance fluorescence studies in 115In in preparation for experiments using tunable gamma-rays from the Duke Free-Electron Laser Lab (DFELL). Chris Montgomery, Duke Univ. ( W. Tornow )
Characterization and configuration optimization of four 60% germanium detectors to be used in future gamma-ray spectroscopy experiments measuring stellar reaction rates relevant to nuclear astrophysics studies. Luke Walker, Univ. of Central Arkansas. ( C. Illiadis )
Monte Carlo calculations using GEANT to optimize a new liquid hydrogen target for the proposed Compton scattering experiment at the Duke Free-Electron Laser Laboratory (DFELL). Amanda Sandifer, Idaho State Univ. (K. Keeter ISU, H. Weller )
Development of the target form and a heat exchanger to be used in the new Polarized Target dilution refrigerator. Emma Pearson, U of Durham, UK.( D. Haase, C. Gould)
Construction of a new gas handling and control system associated with the transfer of liquid helium for the Polarized Target cryostat and involvement with the NMR measurements to determine the polarization of the deuterium target. Grant Palmquist, NCSU. ( D. Haase )
Analysis of neutron-capture resonance data taken at ORELA in Holmium samples to determine the optimum resonance energy in which to measure time-reversal invariance. Walter Reisner, Reed College. ( C. Gould )
The development and implementation of LabVIEW software and interface to remotely monitor the radiation levels at TUNL. Robin Harrell, UNC-CH. ( H. Karwowski )
Data analysis to determine the neutron-neutron scattering length from the measured proton spectrum in the 2H(n,p)2n reaction measured at TUNL. Sonya Covington, NCA&T State Univ. (C. Jackson NCAT, C. Howell )
Modifications of the multi-wire proportional counter (MWPC) used in the experiment to measure the neutron-neutron scattering length. Necota Staples, NCA&T State Univ. (C. Jackson NCAT, C. Howell )
Mechanical design, assembly and testing of a H-D gas dissociator system for the new charge-exchange ionizer being developed for the Atomic Beam Polarized Ion Source. Bennett Rogers, UNC-CH. ( T. Clegg )
LabVIEW interface for the test-bench measurements of the improved plasma-jet ionizer being developed for the Atomic Beam Polarized Ion Source. B. Jay Smith, UNC-CH. ( T. Clegg )
Analysis of shell-model calculations to study isospin-breaking effects on the distribution of reduced probability transitions in 26Al and if the shell-model calculations show similarities to the experimental data in this regard. Kaitrin Mahar, Tenessee Tech Univ (J. Shriner TTU)
Building and testing of a new focus power supply for the KN accelerator and comparison of experimental branching ratios with shell-model calculations to help in the assignment of quantum numbers for energy levels in 26Al and 30P to be used in the study of chaos in nuclei. Mathew Blackstone, Tenessee Tech Univ (J. Shriner TTU)
Refurbishing of a small proton accelerator to be brought back to Gettysburg College, and improved calculations involving integrating a multiple scattering component into the present fitting code, which is used to extract resonance parameters for the parity-violation studies with neutron capture resonances. Rakesh Mathur, Gettysburg College (S. Stephenson, Gettysburg)
Data analysis of In and Th data for the TRIPLE collaboration's parity-violation measurements, and cataloging, cleaning and replacing every part of the small proton accelerator to be brought to Gettysburg College. Julia Lynch, Gettysburg College (S. Stephenson, Gettysburg)