70 years of Nuclear Physics at Notre Dame

1937 - 2007

A history of

5 accelerator generations

~10 student generations

~ 4 faculty generations

in Nuclear structure,Nuclear reaction,

Nuclear astrophysics

Michael Wiescher

Founding of the Department of Physics: 1920

Service department for teaching undergraduatesof the Engineering & Mathematics Departments

Rev. Henry Bolger, CSC Department Head 1936 – 1963

Reorganization & Reorientation of Department:1. Hiring of new young or internationally

recognized scientists 1936 – 19382. University Funding and Construction of

Accelerator Laboratory 1935 – 19373. Introduction of Graduate Program 1938 – 1942

Pre-Accelerator History

Pre-Nuclear Evolution of DepartmentArthur Haas1884-1941Professor for Theoretical Physics University Leipzig 1913-1923University Wien, 1923 – 1935Bowdoin College, 1936University of Notre Dame 1936-1941

First correlation between h and atomic radius:a “carnival joke,” a “daring hypothesis”

Letter of Albert Einstein to Rev. John O’HaraMay, 20. 1936(Father O’Hara, President 1933-1939)

From Quantum- to Astrophysics“The Size of the Universe and the Fundamental Constants of Physics”: A. Haas, Science, 84, 578 (1936)

“A Relation between the Average Mass of the Fixed Stars and the Cosmic Constants”: A. Haas, Science, 87, 195 (1938)

Eugen Guth1905-1990

Privatdozent University Leipzig 1930-1931University Wien, 1932 – 1937

University of Notre Dame 1937-1941University of Notre Dame 1941-1955Oak Ridge National Lab. 1956-1971

Theoretical interpretation of firstNotre Dame accelerator experiments

Rubber & Polymer Physics during and after the war

Nuclear reaction theory with experimental group

Theory of Electrodisintegration of Beryllium, E. Guth ,Phys. Rev. 55, 411 (1939)

Theory of the retraction of Stressed RubberH. M. James, E. Guth , Phys. Rev. 66, 33 (1944)

Accelerator History

1930 Cockroft Walton (Cavendish Laboratory)

1931 Converted X-ray tube (Caltech) (C.C. Lauritsen)

1932 Cyclotron (UC Berkeley) (T.H. Lawrence)

1933 Cockroft Walton (Carnegie Institute) (M.A. Tuve)

1935 Van de Graaff (Wisconsin) (R.G. Herb)

1936 Electrostatic Generator (Notre Dame)

New Research opportunities1933 Cushing Hall Insistence of research space & opportunity by faculty

Resistance by Dean & Administration –research takes time from teaching

Two rooms were granted!

First accelerator at ND build at Cushing Hall onthe suggestion of Harold "Doc" Edgerton (UCBerkeley, MIT EG&G) in 1934 following theaccelerator design of the Carnegie InstituteEd Coomes (1927) and George Collins (1933)!

“Upon recommendation of Father Steiner, the Department of Physics was grantedan appropriation of $900.00 to purchase a high voltage generator to be used forexperimental purposes in the room set aside for this in the Engineering Building.”

70 Year Anniversarycompleted in spring 1937

South Bend Tribune 8. 5. 1935

Operation & Publication

1936-1940 Master Theses completed

1939 Faculty & Graduate StudentsFall 1938 Bernard Waldman joined Physics faculty

Nuclear Group

New Plans in 1940Plans for a new accelerator emerged: To reach higher energies Better stability Less humidity dependence

Scholastic September 20. 1940

University Funding was providedthrough support by Father O’Harafor building and for accelerator.

1941-1952

Designed as 8 MV machineRecorded maximum 4 MV.

At that time the world wide biggest accelerator

1942 First PhDs in Physics

PhD program was initiated in 1938

War Effort & Manhattan ProjectNew accelerator commissioned for war effortthrough the University of Chicago MetallurgicalCenter, became part of the Manhattan Project!

Wisconsin: neutron production to test material fissibility

Notre Dame: high energy electron beamto test radiation hardness

George Collins moved to MIT, Bernie Waldman stayed on for local efforts.Daily users from Chicago by South-Shore and Tram from campus to campus

Bernie Waldman

Continual operation of accelerator, moved to Chicago & Los Alamos in 1943

Trinity & HiroshimaDevelopment of guidance system 1943-44Development of recording system 1944-45LA-8819 Report UC-34

509th Composite Group

Letter to his wife Aug. 8 1945

Back to normal and new beginning

Nieuwland Hall being build in 1952-1953

Graduate Student Life in the Forties

Now $72.11 on Amazon ٭ ٭ ٭ ٭ ٭

Faculty Growth & Nieuwland Science Hall

12 faculty & 19 graduate students

Nieuwland Science Hall 1952-1953Design

RealityConstruction

Nuclear Physics Faculty 1955-1965

19451938

1944 1956

1958

1954

Bud Darden1957

Paul Chagnon 1962

The new generation, the last electron accelerator (4 MV) at Notre Dame

Through $30,000 funding from AEC

Move of the Accelerator

1955, Back of Science Hall

Research Fields in 1956-1960Photon & electron induced reactions: W. Miller & B. Waldman (ND)Nuclear Structure and β- : J. Mihelich (BNL) and γ-spectroscopy: E. Funk (Michigan)Nuclear reactions, magnetic systems: C. Brown (MIT)Nuclear reactions, in-beam γ-spectroscopy: P. Chagnon (Michigan)Polarized Beam Physics: S. Darden (Wisconsin)

paving the path for the future

The proposal was funded with about $2.5 million in Dec.1965, the largest research grant Notre Dame had everreceived. The accelerator itself, a so-called FN tandemmachine was purchased for from High Voltage Engineering.The construction started in 1966, the building was completein 1967 with the accelerator moved in by railroad in 1968.

1968 Tandem Accelerator

Laboratory Floor-Plan

1968 Tandem Accelerator

Director of the Notre Dame Nuclear Structure Laboratory

A pioneer in mass measurementsand nuclear level structure studies

days of crisis: 19761992

For 30 years 1968 - 1998

From nuclear spectroscopy to nuclearastrophysics & radioactive beam physics.

Bernie Waldman, DeanWalt Miller, Chair

James J. Kolata, BNL, 1976Umesh Garg, Texas A&M, 1982Michael Wiescher, Mainz, 1986Ani Aprahamian, LLNL, 1989Alejandro Garcia, UoW, 1992

Nuclear Spectroscopy from plates to Ge-detectors (Mihelich & Funk)

Conversion electrons recorded with electron spectrometer & photo-plates

Nuclear Spectroscopy from plates to Ge-detectors (Mihelich & Funk)

146Pm source

From Ge-detector to Gammasphere

Umesh Garg joined faculty in 1983 to strengthen thespectroscopy group! Participation in the developmentof the ANL-Notre Dame array and in Gammasphere.

ANL - Notre Dame Ge-BGO detector array

To Gammasphere multi-array spectroscopy

From Ge-detector to Gammasphere

Umesh Garg joined faculty in 1983 to strengthen thespectroscopy group! Participation in the developmentof the ANL-Notre Dame array and in Gammasphere.

ANL - Notre Dame Ge-BGO detector array

From Ge-detector to Gammasphere

Umesh Garg joined faculty in 1983 to strengthen thespectroscopy group! Participation in the developmentof the ANL-Notre Dame array and in Gammasphere.

ANL - Notre Dame Ge-BGO detector array

Magnetic Spectroscopy

Development of the high resolution“Browne-Buechner Spectrograph”

as standard research instrument for magnetic spectroscopy!

Cornelius P. BrownePhD 1951 University of WisconsinResearch Associate at MIT 1951-1956

Magnetic Spectroscopy

100 cm broad range spectrograph

1970

Now being converted to gas-filled mode for AMS work byPhilippe Collon and his group.

From Spectrograph to St. George

New spectrometer generations have been developed and are now used by Notre Dame faculty and graduate students worldwide

S800 NSCL/MSU

Grand RaidenRCNP/Osaka

From Spectrograph to St. George

Radioactive beam physicsRadioactive beams have been a long term goal in the community! First attempts at OSU & LLNL failed, J.J. Kolata from Notre Dame and F. Becchetti from U. Michigan have been successful.

Radioactive beams used by J.J. Kolata & A. Aprahamian

Radioactive beam physicsRadioactive beams have been a long term goal in the community! First attempts at OSU & LLNL failed, J.J. Kolata from Notre Dame and F. Becchetti from U. Michigan have been successful.

Radioactive beams used by J.J. Kolata & A. Aprahamian

The future of radioactive beam physics

High Intensity Radioactive Beam Accelerator Facility

to be build in 2011ND group has key position in science planning and R&D

at ANL

at MSU

EOS & nuclear incompressibility

D. Page

Giant Resonances—”breathing” +”squeezing” modes

Incompressibility of nuclear matter derivesdirect from these modes of nuclear excitation!

Neutron Star

Exotic Quantal ModesCertain nuclear configurations donot confirm the Chirality concept:Left-handed & right handed nuclei

tidal waves and vibrationmodes of deformed nuclei.

Nuclear Astrophysics

Nuclear structure innuclear astrophysics

M. Wiescher, 1986 A. Aprahamian, 1989

Low energy nuclear reactionsin stars and stellar explosions

Simulation and modeling of stellar & explosive nucleosynthesis processes

Several low energy accelerators

Efforts go towards a future

underground laboratory

New Plans in Nuclear Astrophysics

New Accelerator plans for Notre Dame Nuclear Group:low energy machine in background free salt mine WIPP,complemented by a heavy ion accelerator at the NSL.

Move down instead of up!

National Facility DUSELALNA

- Future Plans @ ND -the next generation accelerator with high

intensity low and heavy ion beam capability

Total costs $5M including building; funding options are presently being explored

A 6 MV Pelletronwith cold cathodesource in terminal.

Plans by university architects

Cornelius P. Browne

George CollinsEd CoonBernie WaldmanCharlie MullinWalt MillerJohn MihelichCorney BrowneBud DardenEmerson FunkPaul Chagnon

Jim KolataUmesh GargM.W.Ani AprahamianPhilippe CollonXiadong TangJim KaiserJoachim GörresLarry LammEd StechWanpeng Tan

Brad MulderJerry LingleMark Suhovecky

And the many generations of grad students,

a total of 200 between 1937-2007

1923-2005