Colloquium
Last Updated April 23, 2024
The upcoming colloquium is shown below. The current schedule for the remainder of the semester can be seen here. Previous abstracts of colloquiums from this semester will be archived in the future.
When there's a colloquium, come meet the speaker and have coffee & snacks at 3:30
pm in Workman 312, then attend the talk at 4 pm in Workman 101! You can also attend
via Zoom (the meeting ID is 922 7877 4516 and the pass code is 521185).
Looking for an upcoming thesis defense? Click here!
Isotope Production in the Mid-Mass Region Using Photonuclear Reactions
Speaker: Robert Bentley (NMT)
Date: April 25, 2024 @ 4pm
Workman 101
Abstract:
Measurements and analysis of photonuclear cross sections are essential to a more fundamental
understanding of nuclear-electromagnetic interactions and structure. Such research
also contributes to the fields of radioisotope production, forensics, astrophysics,
and medical imaging and therapy. To investigate this, bremsstrahlung photons are produced
via an electron linear accelerator and impinge on a tungsten radiator. In this work,
these photons are the source of activation for several natural targets, namely molybdenum,
ruthenium oxide hydrate, and nickel. By a series of irradiations at integral end-point
energies, cross sections may be extracted, along with corresponding activity and excitation
functions (yield curves). Methods and results from past and planned experiments for
various photonuclear reaction channels are reported for these isotopes.