Newswise — A new Saint Mary's physics professor is proving that the study of tiny particles can have an enormous impact on the study of the universe as a whole.
Dr. Roby Austin, who just received her PhD in nuclear physics this year, has been granted a University Faculty Award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for her work in studying how particle beams interact with exotic nuclear isotopes.
The grant is significant: this year Dr. Austin is receiving $50,000, followed by $65,000 allotments in each of the next two years. After that, the grant will be reviewed and an additional two years of funding allocated. Just as significant is the impact Dr. Austin's work will have on the field of nuclear astrophysics. The subatomic reactions she monitors help astrophysicists create larger models of the universe, in turn enabling them to determine how many of the elements in the universe are formed.
Most of us take the world around us for granted. Few of us stop to ponder where the basic elements that make up our world really come from. "Until recently, even I hadn't given this much thought," says Dr. Austin from her office in the McNally building. Now, after accepting a faculty position at Saint Mary's this summer, Dr. Austin devotes an extensive amount time to research that is helping to answer these and other big questions.
"It's a matter of determining the processes by which elements come into being," says Dr. Austin. "It's exciting to contemplate that most of the elements in the universe are the products of burning in stars. It's even more exciting when you realize that all elements heavier than iron are formed when stars explode."
This means that many of the substances we think of as ordinary, like lead, silver, and gold, were actually formed from ancient supernovas. In studying the universe, astrophysicists try to recreate events " like exploding stars " by using complex computer models. But much of what occurs during these events is influenced by reactions at the sub-atomic level. Dr. Austin's research is essential because she, and others in her field, are providing astrophysicists with this data.
"What I do is study nuclei that are involved in explosive stellar nucleosythesis," explains Dr. Austin. "I use nuclear accelerators to direct beams of nuclei against various isotopes and measure the reaction products; usually by looking at gamma rays. It is this data that I provide to astrophysicists."
Recent technological leaps have made Dr. Austin's work even more far-reaching. Scientists used to be limited to directing stable particle beams at stable targets. But now they can use radioactive beams against stable isotopes. In practical terms, this means that they can study a much higher percentage of the approximately 3000 isotopes that are suspected to exist. Before these advancements, only about one third of these isotopes could be studied.
While Dr. Austin is based at Saint Mary's, her work is part of a Canada-wide laboratory for particle and nuclear physics known as TRIUMF. TRIUMF is managed as a joint venture by a consortium of Canadian universities, and funded by the Government of Canada through the National Research Council. Within the TRIUMF umbrella is the ISAC lab (Isotope Separator and ACcelerator), located on the campus of the University of British Columbia.
Dr. Austin travels back and forth to B.C. to conduct her research. With ISAC, she says, TRIUMF currently boasts one of the best particle accelerators in the world, and is slated to have the very best accelerator on the planet in one year's time. "The central feature of TRIUMF is its cyclotron, which accelerates protons to roughly 75% of the speed of light. It can deliver particles to several different projects at once." Dr. Austin's current research involves the study of heavy calcium isotopes. In particular, she is attempting to discover if there is a new "closed shell" in the region. The advent of the nuclear closed shell would make heavy calcium isotopes less reactant than others, much like the closed atomic shells that make the noble gasses less reactant than other chemicals. Her work falls into the high priority category in the subatomic physics community in Canada. "In the five year scientific plan of the subatomic physics (SAP) community, ISAC is among the top three priorities," she says.
Though Dr. Austin has only been a faculty member since the summer, she already feels right at home at Saint Mary's. "Given the nature of my research, it's great to be at an institution where nuclear physicists and astrophysical researchers are working in close proximity. Even though I am studying nuclear physics, there are a lot of astrophysical questions involved. The two fields are more tightly interwoven than most people realize."
Saint Mary's University is known for its community outreach projects, both in Canada and around the world. Saint Mary's University, founded in 1802, is home to one of Canada's leading business schools, a Science Faculty widely known for its cutting-edge research, a comprehensive and innovative Arts Faculty and a new Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research.
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