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Nuclear
Chemistry at Oregon State University
The Nuclear Chemistry
Faculty at Oregon State University consists of Professor Walter
Loveland and adjunct Professor Alena
Paulenova.
Professor Walter Loveland
is primarily
interested in the study of nucleus-nucleus collisions at low,
intermediate, and high
energies. The long term goals of his nuclear chemistry research group
are: (a) searching
for new phenomena at the limits of nuclear stability; (b) studying the
dynamics and
thermodynamics of colliding nuclei; and (c) application of nuclear
techniques to the study of
environmental and/or biomedical problems. In
the
study of low energy
reactions involving very heavy nuclei, the possibility of synthesizing
new atomic nuclei
or elements exists. Reactions induced by nuclei of intermediate
energies can be used to
study the quantum statistical mechanics of many body systems involving
relatively small
numbers of particles (<300).
A typical experiment
involves irradiating a metal foil with
a heavy ion beam from a particle accelerator and detecting the reaction
products recoiling
from the target at various angles with large detector arrays. The
multiparameter data are
recorded on magnetic tape for immediate, on-line analysis and later
off-line analysis.
Experiments generally
involve international collaborations
and take place at accelerator complexes in Europe and the U.S.
Measurements are made at
the accelerator with computer-aided data analysis taking place at OSU.
Recent accomplishments of
the Loveland group involve the
study of fusion reactions with radioactive beams and the generation of
several new nuclei
by fission and fragmentation of heavy nuclei and exploring synthetic
paths to new heavy nuclei.
Students participating in
such research programs generally
become facile with computers, measurements of and manipulation of
radioactivity,
construction of equipment, modern high speed electronics and the
problems and rewards of
international, collaborative research. (A desire to travel is a
necessity). These skills
have led to jobs for graduates in basic nuclear research, nuclear
medicine, nuclear
energy, semiconductor doping, ion implantation, and archaeology. |
