bNMR reveals nanoscale surface details in topological insulators: Wolfgang Pauli said, “God made the bulk; surfaces were invented by the devil”, a recognition of the fact that theories and experimental measurements of near-surface properties are very difficult. Surfaces may be difficult to study, but it is where much interesting physics arise. Topological insulators (TI) are … Continued
TITAN reveals shell model breakdown at the extreme: Certain combinations of protons and neutrons form exceptionally stable nuclei. While these closed-shell configurations are well understood in stable nuclei, they change in exotic nuclei. Previous mass determinations with TITAN found a closed shell for calcium (Ca) with 32 neutrons. Now, as reported in Physical Review Letters … Continued
A new tool for low-energy fundamental particle transport investigations: As reported in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A (2017) researchers from TRIUMF and Technical University of Munich have developed PENTrack, a tool for simulating proton, electron and neutron paths in low-energy particle transport research. Knowledge of detailed particle behaviour has a large … Continued
Clarifying a key step in the origin of the elements: As reported in Physical Review C (2016) researchers using GRIFFIN have produced the highest-precision measurement ever of the half-life of cadmium-130 (130Cd), a rare isotope that’s a cornerstone for understanding cosmic element formation. Astrophysical observations are providing mounting evidence that heavy elements are forged in … Continued
Testing modern nuclear structure theories: As published in Physics Letters B (2018), this recent TIGRESS result measured the gamma-ray excitation transition rate in magnesium-22 (22Mg) and its mirror sodium-22 (22Ne). Mirror nuclei are pairs of nuclei where there are as many protons in one as neutrons in the other and vice versa. Based on “isospin … Continued
Explaining anomalies in the spectra of classical novae: The optical, ultraviolet and infrared spectra of the debris left over after nova explosions – thermonuclear detonations on the surface of accreting white dwarves in stellar binary systems – contain important fingerprints of the chemical elements synthesized and ejected during these cataclysmic events. However, for some elements, … Continued
A clearer view of the structure of exotic lithium: The study of the transfer of a single neutron during a nuclear reaction from the target to a rare isotope from a beam provides crucial information on the structure of the nucleus created in the reaction. While most of the nuclei studied in this way are bound, … Continued
EMMA set to help reveal the hearts of stars and atoms: In 2018, the coupling of the EMMA and TIGRESS spectrometers will mark the beginning of EMMA’s scientific program to probe the deep nature of nuclear reactions in stars and the subtleties of extreme nuclear structure. EMMA’s arrival is the culmination of a multi-year series … Continued
Rare isotope sheds light on how dead stars re-ignite: Novae are stellar element-making explosions caused when a white dwarf, the carbon-cinder of a once giant star, accretes hydrogen-rich material onto its surface from a companion star. A key to help astrophysicists better understand novae is through determining the rates of reactions that create and destroy … Continued
A new dosimeter to improve characterization of TRIUMF proton and neutron beams: With collaborators at the University of Waterloo, TRIUMF’s PIF & NIF group has invented a new dosimeter that’s proven incredibly valuable at characterizing the proton and neutron test beams available at TRIUMF’s irradiation facilities. Neutron radiation effects testing, usually for single event effects … Continued