National Science Foundation grant provides funding for collaborative project with FSU, Ursinus College to advance nuclear research

The latest advancements on a research initiative that aims to enhance our understanding of nuclear structure and astrophysics is getting a boost from new gamma-ray detection technology, and Ohio University is playing a key role.

The project is part of a Major Research Instrumentation grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that will fund the acquisition of new cerium bromide detectors. The grant funded project is a collaborative effort between faculty members from Ohio University, Florida State University, and Ursinus College as well as collaborators from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. 

Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy Andrea Richard is leading the project at OHIO, while working with Ursinus Professor of Physics Lew Riley and Florida State University Assistant Professor Mark-Christoph Spieker.

The gamma-ray detection technology developed from this proposal will help to provide detailed information crucial for understanding nuclear structure and nuclear astrophysics. Ursinus College has long partnered with the John D. Fox Accelerator Lab at FSU and now adds OHIO as a new partner. 

“The project will allow us to continue the fruitful collaboration with Ursinus College, Professor Riley and his students, and adds Professor Richard from Ohio University, a new collaborator to the mix,” Spieker said. “The Cerium Bromide Array (CeBrA) will add new capabilities enabling very selective experiments to probe the atomic nucleus. I am expecting that we will be able to address many open questions in our field with the new combined CeBrA+SE-SPS setup in the coming years. It is great that the project will involve undergraduate students, graduate students, and a postdoctoral researcher.”

Students and faculty at all three institutions will be involved in the research project, which will provide important new opportunities thanks to the new equipment.

“The CeBrA MRI approval by the NSF opens new opportunities for exploration into nuclear astrophysics and our understanding of solar system formation and nucleosynthesis,” Richard explained. “Our team has a strong foundation across nuclear science and great connections with undergraduate and graduate students as well as national laboratories. This new device will not only enable novel nuclear science studies but will also allow us to train the next generation of nuclear scientists.”

Riley explained that the new equipment will also help undergraduate students at Ursinus gain new research skills.

“Working with state-of-the-art data acquisition systems gives students indispensable skills that are applicable across various fields, enhancing their understanding of scientific research,” Riley said. 

Richard is excited to be joining the project and looks forward to the exciting research opportunities that it will bring to students at Ohio University. This project will further enhance the connection between the John D. Fox lab at FSU and the Edwards Accelerator Lab at OHIO.