Speaker
Description
The Separator for Capture Reactions (SECAR) located in ReAccelerator Hall 3 (ReA3) at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) is a next-generation recoil separator designed to directly measure radiative capture reaction rates in inverse kinematics. These reactions are critical to understanding phenomena such as X-ray bursts, novae, and supernovae, which play a key role in the nucleosynthesis of elements. As part of its commissioning, efforts are underway to characterize SECAR’s acceptance and beam rejection capabilities, as well as to commission the windowless extended gas target for hydrogen operation. The Bismuth Germanate (BGO) gamma ray detector array surrounding the target has been studied in GEANT4, and an algorithm is being developed to constrain the reaction location within the target. With radioactive beams from FRIB, SECAR will soon be poised to measure previously inaccessible reaction rates, addressing open questions in nuclear astrophysics such as element formation and neutron star crust physics. This presentation will provide an update on SECAR’s commissioning and future scientific prospects.
| Career stage | Graduate student |
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