Robbie Seaton-Todd
Faculty Sponsor: Anthony Kuchera
This project works to expand the frontier of nuclear physics by examining the structure of a neutron-rich isotope created at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL). Experimental nuclear reactions that produce exotic, radioactive nuclei are commonly used to study the limits of nuclear existence and ultimately improve nuclear theory by determining the energy levels in a given nucleus. In this experiment, an exotic nucleus was produced that decayed instantaneously by neutron emission. A 4-T dipole magnet bent the resulting charged particle fragments towards charged particle detectors and the neutrons continued their flight path to neutron detectors. The detectors measured the position, angle, and time of flight to determine the energy and momentum vectors of the particles. Analysis has been conducted throughout 2018 and 2019 to calibrate data from electronic signals to physical parameters, separate out events of interest, and ultimately reconstruct a decay energy spectrum. This poster overviews the reconstruction phase of the analysis, explaining the steps taken to plot the decay energy. Determining the decay energy will advance nuclear physics by providing first-ever data on excited state of this nucleus.
