NSCL Nuclear research at MSU National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory A world-class facility for nuclear experimentation and theory ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS registered

NSCL Example: A Helium Atom ElectronNeutron Proton NSCL scientists study the atomic nucleus We study the atomic nucleus

NSCL An atomic nucleus is as small compared to you… …as you are compared to our ENTIRE solar system We can’t see the nucleus, so it’s hard to work with. But we’ve still found clever ways to control and study it! The nucleus is SMALL

NSCL Leading scientific advancement K500 cyclotron K1200 cyclotron A1900 fragment separator beam switchyard S800 spectrograph 14-foot diameter

NSCL Serving Users NSCL is a world-class research facility, supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), that hosts the best nuclear scientists from the U.S. and abroad NSCL User Community April 2013

NSCL BIG BANG MANY CREATED BY EXPLODING STARS MAKING UNSTABLE NUCLEI (OUR BEST THEORY SO FAR) STARS BURNING STARS BURNING HUMAN-MADE The Periodic Table How were the elements made?

NSCL Why study rare nuclei? Nuclear Medicine Archeology/Geophysics Nuclear Power What we learn about the nucleus can generate new ideas and technologies in the fields of space science, airport security, biology/ecology, etc.

NSCL Who is NSCL? >500 Employees Graduate Students Faculty/ Researchers Undergrad Students Research & Development Scientists/ Engineers Technicians, Engineers & Machinists Facility Operators/Physicists In addition to nuclear scientists, we need people who are trained in many different areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)!

NSCL Education and Outreach NSCL has the #1-ranked nuclear science program among U.S. grad schools, and awards 10% of the nation’s nuclear Ph.D.s NSCL outreach offers: Tours for the general public Summer research programs for middle/high school students Nuclear science experiments/ lessons for teachers to use Visit

NSCL Unstable nuclei will decay Unstable nuclei are radioactive, meaning they will decay (come apart)… Gamma ray …and give off radiation of some kind! Alpha particle (He nucleus) Proton Neutron Electron NSCL scientists study rare, radioactive nuclei, some of which exist for only a fraction of a second

NSCL SurveyingLabeling and Training NSCL takes radiation safety seriously, and has met NRC license standards for over 50 years Fact: NSCL has fewer radioactive sources than a major hospital Shielding Radiation Safety

NSCL Radiation exposure and you Radiation sourceDose Average exposure for general public (natural + medical) > 300 mRem/yr Government (NRC) exposure limit for lab visitors 100 mRem/yr NSCL/FRIB ALARA goal for visitors10 mRem/yr Your visit today< 1 mRem Dental x-ray1-2 mRem

NSCL How to make unstable nuclei NSCL’s Coupled Cyclotron Facility

NSCL Superconductivity NSCL cyclotrons use electromagnets made from niobium-titanium wires. At liquid helium temperatures (-269 °C, -450 °F), these wires become superconducting, which means they have zero electrical resistance. This allows us to make small, powerful electromagnets used to direct and control nuclei ! Superconductors also repel magnetic fields magnet superconductor liquid nitrogen used to cool the superconductor

NSCL The cyclotrons Year completed: 1982 Diameter: 10 ft Weight: 100 tons Magnetic field: 3-5 Tesla Maximum energy it can impart to a proton: 500 MeV K500 World’s first superconducting cyclotron K1200 Year completed: 1988 Length of superconducting wire: 38 mi Time of acceleration: seconds Distance a nucleus travels while inside: 1.9 miles (700 revolutions) World’s second-highest-energy superconducting cyclotron

NSCL When stable nuclei from the ion source enter a cyclotron, a magnetic field bends their path into a circular “orbit” while electric fields speed them up, so they spiral outward How a cyclotron works

NSCL Collision and fragmentation After the target, the beam contains many different nuclei, though most are unchanged BEAM at < 0.5 cstrikes foil TARGETexits with FRAGMENTS The accelerated beam contains one kind of nucleus provided by the ion source or or… Very few beam nuclei hit a nucleus in the target and break, changing into something new (rare?)

NSCL The A1900 fragment separator Wedge-shaped dipole magnets act like prisms that separate nuclei Wide variety of nuclei from collisions with the target enter… The A1900 filters out all but the one (or more) unstable nucleus for study

NSCL Detectors find evidence of the nucleus “Halo nuclei” and neutron-rich isotopes MoNA S800 Spectrograph Nuclei found in stellar reactions Nuclear states from particles freed in collisions HiRA

NSCL “LEBIT” 9.4 T Penning Trap Measuring the rare isotope 4.Orbits per second depends on the nuclear mass; find the frequency to weigh one nucleus at a time! The mass of selenium-68 strongly affects type I x-ray explosions on neutron stars Beam 1.Fast nuclei are stopped in helium gas 2.One or a few nuclei are allowed through 3.Nuclei are trapped in a magnet trap and orbit in a circle.

NSCL FRIB: Facility for Rare Isotope Beams MSU has been chosen as the site for FRIB: a $730 million US Department of Energy project to design and establish a world-leading laboratory over the next decade. Civil construction to begin soon, completion by 2022 at the latest. NSCL today FRIB design

NSCL No eating, drinking, smoking, chewing gum Pacemaker? Beware magnetic fields Watch your head and step, don’t sit or lean on things Stay with your guide, follow instructions and don’t touch If you become separated from the tour, dial “0” from any lab phone (“305” after hours) and the receptionist will assist you Safety First

NSCL National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University For more information about our lab and outreach programs, contact or go to Visit the “NSCL Gift Shop” online! Go to shop.msu.edu and click on “NSCL” under “Specialty Stores” shop.msu.edu Follow us Friend us on “National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory”

NSCL FRIB on the MSU campus

NSCL Sources of radiation

NSCL The Control Room