202 FRIB Graduate Brochure

Nuclear science
at MSU
Nuclear scientists pursue answers to big questions by colliding
atomic nuclei and examining isotopes of the elements that do not
normally exist on Earth. In collisions at half the speed of light, new
isotopes are created in a billionth of a trillionth of one second.
Particle accelerators like FRIB, state-of-the-art computers, and
specially designed equipment make the research possible.
Probe the possibilities of a nuclear science graduate
degree as we probe the mysteries of an atom’s nucleus
in our quest to answer fundamental of questions like how
the elements were formed and what keeps nuclei togeher.
Exploring exotic nuclei
Research at FRIB concentrates on the study of exotic
nuclei, one of the current frontiers in nuclear science.
Compared to the more familiar stable nuclei, these exotic
nuclei have large excesses of either protons or neutrons
and tend to decay quickly, sometimes within fractions
of a second. Experimental groups use the world-leading
capabilities of FRIB to produce exotic nuclei through
fragmentation of accelerated stable nuclei that bombard
a solid target. The exotic fragments are transported to the
experimental stations within hundreds of nanoseconds,
where a wide range of experiments can be carried out
using state-of-the art equipment.
Pursue answers to the most
fundamental questions in nuclear
science through groundbreaking
experiments at FRIB.
Types of experiments
Some experiments determine the existence of a particular
nucleus for the first time, while others stop the nuclei
to study their decay or to measure their mass. Other
experiments have the exotic nuclei bombard another
target and study the ensuing nuclear reactions revealing
information about the internal structure of the nucleus,
or the behavior of nuclear matter during the extreme
temperatures and densities encountered in a nuclear
collision. By building upon the expertise and achievements
of NSCL, experiments at FRIB will reveal many surprising
properties of exotic nuclei and many more remain to be
discovered.
At the laboratory, theorists are working closely with
experimentalists to interpret these results and to use
exotic nuclei as probes to uncover hidden aspects of
the nuclear force that holds together all atomic nuclei.
Understanding this force and building a nuclear theory
that can predict its properties is one of the ultimate goals
in nuclear science.
Exotic nuclei also play an important role in astrophysics.
They are created in stellar explosions such as X-ray bursts
and supernovae, and are believed to exist inside neutron
stars. Often, the decays of exotic nuclei are intermediate
steps in the astrophysical processes that created the
elements in nature. Many FRIB groups work at the
intersection of nuclear physics and astrophysics to address
open questions raised by astronomical observations
concerning the origin of the elements, the nature of stellar
explosions and the properties of neutron stars.
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