Experimental Nuclear Structure Physics with Professor Norbert Pietralla "I have four well-defined projects that can be worked on by those who have at least some understanding of quantum mechanics and of basic nuclear physics (idea of protons and neutrons, alpha-, beta-, gamma-radiation). These are all meant for single students or for teams of two students on a comparable level. All projects could be extended for future thesis works." 1.  Set-up of a new ion beam-line for nuclear experiments at the Stony Brook Linac The set-up for nuclear structure gamma-ray spectroscopy at the Stony Brook ion beam accelerator facility will be modernized and extended. The ion beam-line with vacuum system and beam diagnostics will be assembled by students. The students will gain basic hands-on skills in ion-beam optics, vacuum systems, ion-beam accelerator physics, and nuclear spectroscopy. 2.  Installation and calibration of a gamma-ray Compton-polarimeter The nuclear instrumentation pool at Stony Brook will be extended by a gamma-ray Compton-polarimeter device, which can be used for measuring the radiation character (electric or magnetic) of nuclear gamma-rays. This information enables one to determine the quantum-mechanical parity quantum numbers of nuclear energy levels. The new Compton-polarimeter device must be integrated into the existing nuclear gamma-ray spectroscopy set-up and in the computer-automated data acquisition system, and the sensitivity of the polarimeter must be calibrated. The mechanical set-up, the integration of the signals in the acquisition software, and the calibration will be performed by students. The students will gain basic skills in handling semi-conductor spectrometers for ionizing radiation, skills in gamma-ray detection and nuclear gamma-ray spectroscopy including fast data acquisition and information processing. 3.  Gamma-ray spectroscopy of heavy nuclei The structure of heavy nuclei and its understanding is the main topic of the Stony Brook Nuclear Structure Physics group. Nuclear gamma-ray spectroscopy experiments are performed at the in-house Stony Brook ion-beam accelerator facility on a frequent basis. Work together with the scientists and advanced students on the current experimental program! An appropriate part of the research will be assigned to the interested student. The student will gain advanced skills in state-of-the-art gamma-ray detection and nuclear gamma-gamma-coincidence spectroscopy, digital data acquisition and analysis, and nuclear structure models. 4.  Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence (NRF) The phenomenon of fluorescence is known from daily life (for instance, the "glowing" of clothes that have been washed with detergents using optically-active ingredients in the UV light of a discotheque, etc.). It comes about by the absorption of electromagnetic radiation by atoms and its subsequent emission. A similar process for high-energy gamma-radiation is possible for atomic nuclei, i.e., artificially produced gamma-radiation can be absorbed by nuclei and subsequently emitted into another direction where it can be observed with appropriate gamma-ray detectors. The investigation of the intensity of this nuclear resonance fluorescence provides information on the structure of nuclei. We are the world-leading group in exploiting this method for nuclear structure research and we frequently perform experiments at the High Intensity gamma-ray Source (HIgS) at the Duke Free Electron Laser Laboratory (DFELL) at Duke University, Durham, NC. Work together with the scientists and advanced students on the current experimental program! An appropriate part of the research will be assigned to the interested student. The student will gain basic skills in performing nuclear structure research using the method of Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence (NRF), including hands-on help in the experiments at Duke University, data analysis, and nuclear structure interpretation. Prof. Pietralla is a new member of our department, and will only arrive on campus in late fall. Students wishing to contact him before then can write to him at ( ). November 2003