Overview

The High Resolution Laboratory at TUNL houses a modified KN Van de Graaff accelerator capable of producing up to 100 uA of proton beam at energies between 0.9 MeV and 4 MeV. An electrostatic analyzer system utilizes the by-product H₂⁺ beam to analyze and correct for fluctuations in the proton beam energy, resulting in an overall beam energy resolution of around 250 eV.

The system is designed to perform two experimental tasks very efficiently:

1. The electrostatic analyzer that gives us our excellent beam energy resolution is also used as a feedback system to automate the measurement of excitation functions for (p,p) and (p,gamma) reactions. Multiple detectors surrounding our charged particle scattering chamber allow us to measure (p,p) excitation functions at several angles simultaneously, generating an instant angular distribution.


2. Our gamma-ray detection system employs two high purity germanium detectors, one of which is surrounded by a bismuth germanate Compton-suppression shield. This detection system coupled with our high beam energy resolution allows us to measure extremely small and/or narrow gamma-ray resonances and spectral lines that are missed by many other experiments.

More detailed information about the specifics of our system will be available soon, when the "Virtual Tour" section is finished.

In addition to conducting experiments in our own lab, members of our research group collaborate with scientists around the world on such subjects as: quantum chaos and symmetry breaking in nuclei, charged particle parity violation, parity violation in neutron resonances, and the parity dependence of nuclear level densities. Click on Current Research and Publications & Talks in the menu to learn more about our recent work and collaborations.

Contact Us

If you have investigated our site and would like more information, or if you wish to report a problem with any of these documents, please email the HRL webmaster, Bill Beal.

If you would like to contact a specific member of our group, please follow the People link in the menu.

The main TUNL office can be reached by phone at (919) 660-2600 or by email at secretary@tunl.duke.edu.