Travel to MSU (November 2010) for experiment on isobaric analogue states

Most of the mass of an atom is in the nucleus which contains protons and neutrons with the number of protons defining the chemical element. The nucleus is held together by a balance between the weak force, the Coulomb force which pushes the protons apart and the nuclear force which pulls all the neutrons and protons together. It is a delicate balancing act to calculate the relative strengths of the three forces and there are many models which try to solve this tricky problem. Mirror nuclei are those where the numbers of neutrons and protons are interchanged e.g 52Ni (Z=28 and N=24) and 52Cr (Z=24 and N=28) and by studying these, we can gain an understanding of the Charge dependence of the forces. In this research programme we will produce 52Ni and study its decay properties. These will then be compared with those of 52Cr. The results will be used to refine models of nuclear behaviour which are appropriate in this region.