October 2024

Since our last NSD newsletter, there have been a number of notable developments. A major breakthrough in our heavy element program was achieved and published, with the first production of a superheavy element, Livermorium (Z=116), using a ⁵⁰Ti beam. The announcement drew significant attention at the summer conferences and the broader press. Find out more in this issue about how this achievement opens the door to search for Element 120.  This issue of the NSD newsletter also features the efforts in establishing a new LHC Analysis Facility for the ALICE experiment at LBNL, an important contribution to the ALICE activities in the U.S. 

We were also able to celebrate the DOE Early Career Award for Jennifer Pore, and the 3rd place finish of Lisa Schlueter in the Berkeley Lab Slam. Congratulations to Jenn and Lisa. Unfortunately, we also received the very sad news that Frank Stephens, a giant in the field of Nuclear Structure, passed away at age 93 in August. He will be greatly missed.

This issue also features a summary of the activity of the NSD IDEA Council and resources available for those interested in advancing the IDEA culture within the Division and the broader community. The NSD IDEA Council is always looking for additional volunteers. We are also looking forward to hosting many Scouts at the Lab on November 9, when the Lab will host the 12th Annual Nuclear Science Day for Scouts.

The goats are back at the Lab, so it must be summer. It is also the time to welcome nine summer interns who are working with teams across the Division.  

There was much to celebrate since the last newsletter. It was a pleasure to join, together with several NSD members, the flag raising ceremony to celebrate Pride Month. An important reminder of our commitment to fostering a workplace culture where everyone feels welcome and valued. We also celebrate several NSD members who were recognized for their outstanding work. Congratulations to Wick Haxton, Erich Leistenschneider, Gabriel Orebi Gann, and Xin-Nian Wang on their respective well deserved awards (see Fragment for more details).

On the science side, we can celebrate the breakthrough by our Heavy Element team, who in collaboration with their international partners succeeded to produce two events of Element 116 (livermorium) by bombarding a plutonium target with a titanium-50 beam at the 88-Inch Cyclotron. Based on the measured production rate the search for new Element 120 using titanium beam seems feasible.

In this issue of the NSD Newsletter we are featuring recent physics results from ALICE, led by NSD scientists, that investigate the coherent photoproduction of pairs of kaons in ultra-peripheral collisions (UPCs) of relativistic lead nuclei, which for the first time gave access to the photon-kaon coupling strength. We also learn about a remarkable measurement of the 71Ge half-life, which rules out potential explanation of the so-called “gallium anomaly”, leaving the door open for potentially more physics beyond-the-standard model in the neutrino sector. Another exciting development we learn about, is how machine learning methods, automation, and robotics are being used for nuclear safeguards applications. Finally, the GRETA project has achieved another major milestone by safely completing the challenging move of the main mechanical structures from the 88-Inch high bay to the laboratory ‘K-area’ space in the basement level of Bldg. 88 where the final assembly, systems integration and testing will take place. The move was a real team effort of the LBNL riggers with support of the 88-Inch mechanical crew. Congratulations. The pictures in this issue of the newsletter only tell part of the story.

Overall, it is fantastic to see the progress and celebrate these achievements, the recognition of our people, and the commitment to the lab’s stewardship values and IDEA principles. Wishing everyone an enjoyable summer.

Sincerely,

It was wonderful to learn that Alan Poon is among five Berkeley Lab researchers elected into the 2023 class of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Heartfelt congratulations to Alan and all 2023 AAAS fellows.

It has been a busy spring with many exciting activities at the Lab and beyond involving NSD team members. The first of several runs to demonstrate the production of element 116 with a 50Ti beam was completed with stable high-intensity beam delivery from the VENUS ion source and the 88-Inch Cyclotron and smooth operation of all experimental systems. Further runs are scheduled through June and the results will tell us if superheavy element production with Ti beam is feasible. The Eos neutrino detector, an innovative prototype for non-proliferation as well as fundamental physics research constructed on UC Berkeley campus and featured in this newsletter, saw first light. Also, the GRETA team has further advanced the project assembly and integration and successfully completed a Director’s review as well as the annual DOE/OPA Status Review of the project in April. It is very exciting to see the project visibly come together (see Fig.).

In this issue of the NSD Newsletter we also learn about how one can learn more about important properties of the neutron, such as its magnetic form factor, by studying light mirror nuclei 3He and 3H. The Newsletter also features exciting advances in  radiation mapping by applying a novel Bayesian algorithm to data from a single, free-moving detector to enable reliable image reconstruction, significantly enhancing the efficient radiation imaging of large areas with important applications in nuclear safety and security. 

It is inspiring to see the many facets of the research carried out and enabled by the NSD team. At the same time it is important to ensure that we foster a safe work environment, not only physically safe but also providing the psychological safety that allows for being vulnerable and for interpersonal risk taking, overall leading to a more collaborative, inclusive, and productive workplace. NSD efforts to raise awareness around this topic with support from the Lab’s IDEA office are also featured in this issue.

Overall, I am thrilled to see these science and technology developments as well as the advancement of our workplace culture. 

Sincerely,

2023 has been an important year for Nuclear Science in the U.S. with the roll out of the new NSAC Long Range Plan (LRP) on Nuclear Science “A New Era of Discovery”. The research portfolio and strategic priorities developed for LBNL’s Nuclear Science Division, are well aligned with the priorities and recommendations articulated in the LRP, including the Electron Ion Collider (EIC) and Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay as top construction priorities. LBNL plans to make leading contributions to the EIC ePIC detector and is supporting two next generation Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay experiments, CUPID – as lead lab – and LEGEND. The November Division Retreat was a successful occasion to bring the whole division together and discuss not only our strategic goals but also focus on conversations around People Stewardship. It was great to see so many members of the NSD team in person and the engaged interactions during the session and the breaks.

This issue of the NSD Newsletter introduces the newly formed Neurodiversity Working Group, part of the Lab’s AllAccess Employee Resource Group (ERG), which aims to celebrate that diversity, develop community, and influence lab policy to hire, support, and retain neurodivergent employees.

On the technical side, the Newsletter introduces the recently launched modernized version of the Berkeley Lab Scintillator Library, which provides measured properties of many scintillating materials, and will advance modeling of scintillator response in support of a variety of applications. It also summarizes the exciting technical development of a graphene field-effect transistor (GFET) for applications as cryogenic signal amplifier and photo sensor.  

We also learn about the advances in producing a new, innovative closed-loop coil for the MARS-D project, a 4th Generation Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source (ECRIS). MARS-D will be able to achieve stronger fields than the current VENUS source at the 88-Inch cyclotron, further enhancing the already impressive current ion-beam capabilities. The end of the year saw the first delivery of a high-intensity ⁵⁰Ti beam from the 88-Inch CCyclotron to the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator (BGS), using a new induction oven in VENUS. This sets us up for an exciting year ahead in the heavy element program.

It is great to see these science and technology developments as well as the advancement of our workplace culture. I am looking forward to an exciting year and wish everyone a healthy, safe,  and successful year 2024.

Fall is kicking off with major developments. The Nuclear Science community is rolling out its new Long Range Plan for Nuclear Science with ambitious scientific and technical goals and clear priorities for the years ahead. Berkeley Lab’s Nuclear Science Division is well aligned with the community’s priorities and will continue to make leading contributions in support of the Long Range Plan and its recommendations. 

Additional exciting news comes from CERN, where heavy ion running for LHC Run 3 has commenced and the ALICE experiment is taking  data. All detector systems, including the inner tracker system to which LBNL made major contributions, are working as designed and we are looking forward to further revelations on the properties of the quark gluon plasma ahead.

This issue of the NSD newsletter features other exciting examples of NSD science aiming to unravel the nature of the strong force and how technologies pioneered by Berkeley Lab are applied to enable multimessenger astrophysics. In particular, this issue reports on how recent measurements at Jefferson lab are challenging our understanding on how the nuclear interaction between protons and neutrons (nucleons) is modified inside light nuclei. The data seems to indicate that the so-called EMC effect, which measures the modification of the strong interaction inside the nucleus, scales with the overlap between neighboring nucleons. In this issue  we also learn about how the LBNL Semiconductor Detector Lab (SDL) is deploying double-sided high-purity germanium (HPGe) strip detectors, a technology pioneered at the SDL, for the next iteration of the NASA  Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) mission. 

These are just a few examples of the broad spectrum of exciting science and advanced technological developments led by NSD. Some other highlights are featured in the Fragments.

The newsletter also provides a summary of how the Nuclear Science Division continues its strong engagement in outreach and in advancing the IDEA culture within the Division and the broader community. In addition, last month Berkeley Lab’s team, including a sizable contingent from the Nuclear Science Division, was awarded “Absolutely Fabulous Overall Contingent” in the San Francisco Pride Parade. Most recently, the Lab welcomed 200 scouts for the 11th annual Nuclear Science Day for Scouts.  It was fantastic to see everyone’s curiosity and fascination with the various facets of nuclear science [photo]. I would like to express my deep appreciation to the many volunteers making this event happen. The badge for this year features the Electron Ion Collider [see photo]. See this Elements article leading up to the event.

Sincerely,

This spring has been very eventful. A highlight was the special Award Ceremony on June 6 at Berkeley Lab for the 2023 Enrico Fermi Presidential Award winners Darleane C. Hoffman and Gabor Somorjai. We were able to celebrate this event and a number of scientific highlights on the newly established NSD Twitter account (@LBNLNuclearSci). 

This issue provides insights on why coherent photonuclear interactions in ultra-peripheral collisions (UPCs) at ALICE and STAR provide physics opportunities while also presenting a puzzle for our theoretical understanding of coherent and incoherent photoproduction. This issue also provides updates on several exciting technical developments spearheaded by NSD that are coming to fruition. The development of high intensity titanium ion beams at the 88-Inch Cyclotron is advancing in preparation for forthcoming experiments to produce superheavy elements at the Berkeley Gas-Filled Separator (BGS). The LEGEND-200 neutrinoless double beta decay detector is starting its data taking phase at Gran Sasso, Italy. LBNL has produced the signal readout electronics which are showing superb performance. Finally, the sPHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) has started its commissioning phase. The most inner part of sPHENIX is the MVTX vertex tracking detector which was assembled at LBNL and will enable the precision measurements of heavy quark production to study the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP). 

Sincerely,