The Nab Experiment

Technologies:

Software: C++, Python, Bash, Unix, LabVIEW, Slurm Workload Manager

Hardware: Data acquisition computers, preamplifiers, particle detectors, mass flow meters, oscilloscopes, multimeters

In January of 2021, at 18 years old, I began the first leg of my professional experience as a collaborator on the Nab Experiment. The Nab Experiment, housed at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, uses an elaborate detection setup to measure the correlations of electron and antineutrino momenta and the electron energy spectrum with regards to neutron beta decay to further knowledge of the Standard Model of particle physics. Upon completion, Nab will have made the most precise measurements of neutron decay in history. I initially concentrated my efforts in testing the experimental setup with the simulation tools ROOT and Geant4, written with C++, as well as Bash to navigate the simulation's Unix-based framework and execute files. Little did I know that, in the three years I spent on this effort, I would wear many hats.

I mostly stuck to test protocols in my time at ORNL, but I began to spread my wings in this role through more avenues than simulations alone. On the software side, I deviated from C++, developing software with Python to identify faulty components of Nab's data acquisition system and using hardware such as oscilloscopes, multimeters, mass flow meters, and the data acquisition computers themselves to identify potential faults in other apparatus components and optimize experimental conditions.

My C++ and Python work made its way into my departmental thesis, which is currently awaiting publication.

I have presented this research at numerous regional and national conferences, which you can learn more about on my Conferences page!

Gallery:

C++ simulation test of aluminum grid in front of detector.

C++ simulation test of electric potential applied across the apparatus.

C++ monoenergetic electrons at emission energy of Ce-139.

Python faulty component identification: upper detector.

Python faulty component idenitification: lower detector.

Jackson and mentor, Dr. Josh Hamblen, at apparatus.

Jackson integrating data acquistion computer at lower detector.

Jackson in a helmet during detector installation... safety first!

References:

R. L. Workman et al. Review of Particle Physics. Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, 2022(8):083C01, 08/2022.
F. M. Gonzalez et al. Improved neutron lifetime measurement with UCNτ. Physical Review Letters, 127(16), 10/2021.
J. D. Jackson et al. Possible tests of time reversal invariance in beta decay. Phys. Rev., 106:517–521, 05/1957.
Jeffrey S. Nico and W. Michael Snow. FUNDAMENTAL NEUTRON PHYSICS. Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science, 55(1):27–69, 12/2005.
J. Fry et al. The nab experiment: A precision measurement of unpolarized neutron beta decay. EPJ Web of Conferences, 219:04002, 2019.
N. Fomin et al. Fundamental neutron physics beamline at the spallation neutron source at ORNL. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 773:45–51, 2015.
G.F. Knoll. Radiation Detection and Measurement. John Wiley and Sons, 2000.
L.J. Broussard et al. Detection system for neutron decay correlations in the UCNb and Nab experiments. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 849:83–93, 2017.
L. J. Broussard et al. Neutron decay correlations in the nab experiment. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 876(1):012005, 07/2017.
David Mathews. nabPy 0.1.55/. https://pypi.org/project/nabPy/.
J. Allison et al. Recent developments in geant4. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 835:186–225, 2016.
Rene Brun and Fons Rademakers. Root — an object oriented data analy- sis framework. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Sec- tion A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 389(1):81–86, 1997. New Computing Techniques in Physics Research V.
Rivanna. https://www.rc.virginia.edu/userinfo/rivanna/overview/.
Recommended nuclear decay data Sn-113. https://www.ezag.com/fileadmin/ezag/user-uploads/isotopes/isotopes/Isotrak/isotrak-pdf/DecaySchemaData/Sn−113.pdf.
Recommended nuclear decay data Ce-139. https://www.ezag.com/fileadmin/ezag/user-uploads/isotopes/isotopes/Isotrak/isotrak-pdf/DecaySchemaData/Ce−139.pdf.