Nuclear physics

News and Updates

Prototype superconducting sensor is a square chip with lines running through it.

Spotlight: Looking Beyond the Standard Model to Explore Neutron Decay

April 12, 2022

This prototype NIST sensor may help solve some mysteries of the universe by looking beyond the Standard Model. The Standard Model is a long-standing theory that

Impeding the Impedance: Research Reveals How to Design a Better Next-Generation Lithium-Ion Battery

November 16, 2021

The newest generation of lithium-ion batteries now under development promises a revolution in powering cell phones, electric vehicles, laptops and myriad other

A man in a white lab coat and black face mask (Jeffrey Herrera) stands near a wall of protective equipment like long gloves.

Spotlight: Jeffrey Herrera’s Journey Into Science and Safety

October 4, 2021

Jeffrey Herrera is one of NIST’s health physicists, ensuring our ability to safely use radioactive materials for research and supporting radiation safety

Projects and Programs

Applied: Methods in Neutron Detection and Spectroscopy

Ongoing

We continue to work improving techniques in fast neutron detection using segmented spectrometers based on the principle of capture-gating. Our approach employs

Fundamental Physics: Search for Time Reversal Violation in Polarized Neutron Decay (emiT)

Completed

The "emiT" experiment searched for time-reversal symmetry violation term in neutron beta decay. It did so by measuring electron-proton coincidence events from

Security (Archive): Neutron Detector Replacement Program

Completed

The Department of Homeland Security/Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DHS/DNDO) is pursuing a course to transform 3He alternative technologies into integrated

Fundamental Physics: Experiments with a Precision Neutron Polarimeter

Ongoing

The Neutron Spin Rotation (NSR) collaboration has developed a neutron spin polarimeter that has allowed the precise measurement of spin rotations at a level of

Publications

Quantum computing hardware for HEP algorithms and sensing

April 19, 2022

Author(s)

Corey Rae McRae

Quantum information science harnesses the principles of quantum mechanics to realize computational algorithms with complexities vastly intractable by current

Realization and dissemination of activity standards for medically important alpha-emitting radionuclides

March 4, 2022

Author(s)

Denis E. Bergeron, Karsten Kossert, Sean Collins, Andrew Fenwick

Interest in targeted cancer therapy with alpha-emitting radionuclides is growing. To evaluate emerging radiotherapeutic agents requires precise activity

Toward a New Primary Standardization of Radionuclide Massic Activity Using Microcalorimetry and Quantitative Milligram-Scale Samples

February 24, 2022

Author(s)

Ryan P. Fitzgerald, Bradley Alpert, Dan Becker, Denis E. Bergeron, Richard Essex, Kelsey Morgan, Svetlana Nour, Galen O'Neil, Dan Schmidt, Gordon A. Shaw, Daniel Swetz, R. Michael Verkouteren, Daikang Yan

We present a new paradigm for the primary standardization of radionuclide activity per mass of solution (Bq/g). Two key enabling capabilities are 4π decay

Joint Measurement of the 235U Antineutrino Spectrum with PROSPECT and STEREO

February 22, 2022

Author(s)

Hans Pieter Mumm, Denis E. Bergeron, Mark Tyra, Jerome LaRosa, Svetlana Nour, PROSPECT collaboration, STEREO collaboration

The PROSPECT and STEREO collaborations present a combined measurement of the pure 235U antineutrino spectrum, with site specific corrections and effects

Tools and Instruments

Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectrometer

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy uses positrons to probe material defects/voids/free volume at the sub-nm scale. The general working principle is

Material Analysis Using Neutron Depth Profiling

Light elements such as helium, lithium, boron, and nitrogen are essential constituents in materials that enable energy technologies; lithium ion batteries