Subatomic Physics Group
The Subatomic Physics Group at Colorado School of Mines is part of the Physics Department.
Subatomic Physics Group
The Subatomic Physics Group at Colorado School of Mines is part of the Physics Department.
Faculty
Uwe Greife
Physics Department Head
physics-dh@mines.edu (department head related communications)
Currently the research group is pursuing the following three activity streams:
1) Nuclear astrophysics with radioactive ion beams (RIB): we are performing RIB experiments, predominantly radiative capture in inverse kinematics, at the facilities of TRIUMF (ISAC, DRAGON) and NSCL/FRIB. The reactions pursued are usually relevant to nucleosynthesis on the proton rich side of the chart of nuclides.
2) Neutron induced reactions relevant to nuclear energy and non-proliferation issues: we are developing experimental equipment (time projection chamber and dual arm spectrometer) and approaches for precision measurements of fission cross sections and fragment distributions as well as for neutron scattering experiments. These activities are using the LANSCE neutron beam facilities of LANL.
3) Our group has teamed up with research groups in chemistry and chemical engineering to develop the next generation of gamma and neutron sensitive organic scintillators. prototypes are tested with our own laboratory sources and at the WNR beam lines of the LANSCE facility.
The uniting element in all our efforts is instrument development, which we try to apply to all fields where our involvement is beneficial. A strong component at our state university is naturally dedicated to education through the involvement of undergraduate and graduate students in the research enterprise.
Fred Sarazin
Professor
I am an experimental nuclear and astroparticle physicist in the subatomic group of the physics department at Mines. My research activity spans about 14 orders of magnitude in energy, from the MeV (1MeV=106eV) in low-energy nuclear physics to the hundreds of EeV (1EeV=1018eV) in cosmic-ray physics. I am also involved in medical isotope production using the USGS 1MW TRIGA reactor at the Federal Center in Lakewood. I regularly teach (Honors) Modern Physics (PHGN300/310), Advanced Laboratory II (PHGN326) and Nuclear Physics (PHGN422). Last semester (Spring 2017), I taught the introductory of Astronomy and Astrophysics (PHGN324) course for the first time. I also advise a number of senior design students every year. Those projects represent an important aspect of my research projects.
Lawrence Wiencke
Professor
High Energy Astroparticle Physics: Exceeding 1020 eV, cosmic rays are the highest energy particles known to exist. What are their accelerators? What are they? How to they obtain these energies? To address these questions, I collaborate on two major experiments. The Pierre Auger Observatory, located in Argentina is the world.s largest ground based detector. JEM-EUSO is a pioneering instrument planned for the international space station.
Interdisciplinary Science: Because high energy cosmic ray detectors observe the earth in unique ways as well as the cosmos, their interdisciplinary reach extends to the atmospheric and earth sciences. For example, the Pierre Auger Observatory also measures transient luminous events that occur in the ionosphere high above certain thunderstorms.
Innovative laser test beam systems for Cosmic Ray Observatories: Test beams of 10^20 eV particles do not exist. Well calibrated laser systems can generate optical signatures in the atmosphere that have similarities to the optical signature generated by cosmic rays. Applications of these systems include detector characterization, artificial sky maps and atmospheric science. The Mines group is responsible for the central laser facilities at the Pierre Auger Observatory and systems for the JEM-EUSO Global Light System.