Research Description
At the limits of nuclear stability, some atomic nuclei decay by releasing one or more neutrons, but current experiments often cannot tell whether those signals came from several neutrons or from one neutron scattering more than once inside a detector. Benjamin Crider plans to develop a compact detector designed to track neutron interactions in both space and time, using an organic scintillator, ultrafast light sensors, and reconstruction methods guided by simulation. His team’s goal is to identify the sequence and location of neutron interactions more clearly and to obtain a more direct picture of neutron emission after beta decay in very neutron-rich nuclei.
Research Impact
Professor Crider’s approach could improve how experiments measure neutron number, timing, and correlations in the decay of very neutron-rich nuclei. If successful, it could provide stronger tests of nuclear models, improve data used in studies of heavy-element formation, and make compact neutron measurements more useful in rare-isotope experiments.
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related links
Experimental Physics Investigators Initiative 
Science
Mississippi State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy
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