A research team led by a nuclear physicist from UMBC conducted a novel experiment using the S800 Spectrograph at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University. The results are expected to improve understanding of the Milky Way’s chemical composition.
When stars explode at the end of their lives, they release elemental nuclei that travel through space at nearly the speed of light. These cosmic rays eventually reach detectors on Earth. Measuring the abundance of each element helps scientists study cosmic processes. However, uncertainty about how elements change during their journey has left key questions about the galaxy’s makeup unresolved.
The physicist and collaborators performed a pioneering experiment at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. They produced and fragmented a beam of chromium-52 nuclei, an isotope never previously measured in this context. Chromium-52 can provide insights into galactic processes.
As cosmic ray nuclei travel, they may collide with hydrogen atoms and break into lighter elements through proton spallation. The experiment measured the relevant cross sections to help trace detected elements back to their sources. By replicating these collisions in the lab, researchers aim to resolve discrepancies and clarify the galaxy’s chemical history.
The experiment successfully generated needed isotopes and yielded data on proton spallation. Such nuclear data serves as a bridge between spacecraft observations and galactic understanding.
Enriched chromium-52 is expensive, so the facility created the isotope through reactions between a nickel-58 beam and a carbon target. The 43-hour run collected data on 50 to 60 isotopes. Analysis is expected to take nearly a year and should refine astrophysical models.
The work forms part of a program at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and UMBC examining proton-based cross sections, an area with limited prior study.
