Modern physics is basically taking stuff we do know about and smashing it into stuff we don't know about...

Sorry about the delay, but I forgot to talk about something, so I decided to wait until I did something else and put it in with that. If that makes sense…

So a couple of weeks ago I finally had a look round the building I walk past every day. The National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory.

After, and in many ways because of, the second world war there was a huge increase in physics research in America and Europe. However they differed in the way they decided to organise this new research. Europe, centralised it’s research into laboratories and institutions that scientists from many different universities could come to. America on the other hand decided that it’s research would be, for the most part, done at the universities.

This is why we have one of the top three labs of its kind in the world. The lab is used to search for different atomic nuclei, trying to create new and more interesting isotopes of atoms. (An isotope is an element with the same amount of protons but different amounts of neutrons. For example carbon 12, with six protons and six neutrons, is the same element as carbon 14, six protons and eight neutrons, but a different isotope).  The method used is quite long and complex, so I’ll just talk about the basics.

The main part, and the part that gives the lab it’s name, is the superconducting cyclotrons.  These are giant cylindrical chambers, six stories high, which use electrical and magnetic fields to accelerate atoms up to significant fractions of the speed of light. They are then sent through a long tube and smashed into a target, which will cause different elements and isotopes to be formed. The debris from the collision is then sent though several bends to try to get rid of any unwanted isotopes then directed into a detector, which will see if the isotope they are aiming for has been found.

The advantages of having this on campus are huge. There are over four hundred people working there, many of the students. Undergrad students here have a unique opportunity to actually be involved in research form the word go, and even if they don’t work there they can benefit from all to the world class researcher that are coming through all of the time. They help plan the experiments, build the detectors and analyse the results.  This hands on experience has led to MSU being the number one university for nuclear physics in the USA, even beating MIT. Please take notice, Britain.

Not that it really affects me of course as I’m an astrophysicist. But this theme of having the research on campus does, as we also have the control room for the SOAR telescope here- I’m hoping to have a go with this at some point, so more on that to come…  

Overall it was a very interesting tour and I learned quite a bit about the actual logistics of doing research like that.  And there was the point where the tour guide said “and this part can be used for astro research.” I may well be heading back there at some point.

Talking of learning stuff, I did my second Science Theatre last night. This time it was doubly interesting as we were performing for a Cub Scout group. I’m an assistant cub leader at home, and it was good to se how there was of doing things compared with ours. I would say that they were somewhat more…old fashioned than us, but not that different. The show was fun, and as usual they were very keen for me to injure myself, this time by dropping a weight on my foot.

Anyway that’s it for now, but come back soon- the next few days are a holiday for thanksgiving, so I’m fairly sure I’ll have plenty to talk about on Monday .