Hope College Department of Physics and Engineering Research Experiences for Undergraduates Summer 2005 Project Summary

The goal of this experiment is to determine if a pair of samples from a single window can be matched by comparing the concentration of trace elements in a group of samples. This would be useful as a forensic tool if a piece of window glass were found in possession of a suspect and could be matched with glass from the scene of a crime.

A method known as Proton Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE) is used to determine the concentration of various trace elements in several glass samples from different manufacturers. We then compare the concentrations in several different samples. Statistical calculations allow us to determine the level of confidence with which we can assert that two samples are from different sources.

Work on this project is still being done.

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Publications and Presentations:
"Reactions Cross Sections for ⁸B, ⁷Be, and ⁶ + ⁵⁸Ni Near the Coulomb Barrier: Proton-halo Effects", E.F. Aguilera, E. Martinez-Quiroz, D. Lizcano, A. Gomez-Camacho, J.J. Kolata, L.O. Lamm, V. Guimaraes, R. Lichtenhaler, O. Camargo, F.D. Becchetti, J. Jiang, P.A. DeYoung, P.J. Mears*, and T.L. Belyaeva. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. C. (2009).

"Development of an Ion Beam Analysis Method for Forensic Analysis of Glass", Richard Sampson*, Graham F. Peaslee, Paul A. DeYoung, Christopher Hall*, Derek Padilla*, and Patrick Mears*. American Academy of Forensic Sciences 2008 Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, (2008).

"Neutron-Decay Spectroscopy of Neutron-Rich Isotopes", M. Thoennessen, C.R. Hoffman, T. Baumann, D. Bazin, J. Brown, G. Christian, P.A. DeYoung, J.E. Fink, N. Frank, J. Hinnefeld, R. Howes, P. Mears*, E. Mosby, S. Mosby, J. Reith*, B Rizzo*, W.F. Rogers, G. Peaslee, W.A. Peters, A. Schiller, M.J. Scott, S.L. Tabor, P.J. Voss, and T. Williams. ENAM08, (2008).

" Breakup of ⁶He Incident on ²⁰⁹Bi Near the Coulomb Barrier", J.J. Kolate, H. Amro, F.D. Becchetti, J.A. Brown, P.A. DeYoung, M. Hencheck, J.D. Hinnefeld, G.F. Peaslee, A.L. Fritsch, C. Hall*, U. Khadka*, Patrick J. Mears*, P. O'Rourke, D. Padilla*, J. Reith*, Tabatha Spencer, and T. Williams. Phys Rev. C 75, 031302 (2007).

^"7Be-Induced alpha-Transfer Reaction on ¹²C", H. Amro, F.D. Becchetti, Yu Chen, Hao Jiang, M. Ojaruega, M.J. Golobish, H.C. Griffin, J.J. Kolata, B. Skorodumov, G. Peaslee, P.A. DeYoung, P. Mears, D. Denby*, J. Brown, J.D. Hinnefeld, and A.M. Moro. Euro. Phys. Jour. bf 150, 1, (2007).

"Determination of the N=16 shell closure at the oxygen drip line", C.R. Hoffman, T. Baumann, D.Bazin, J. Brown, G. Christian, P.A. DeYoung, J.E. Finck, N. Frank, J. Hinnefeld, R.Howes, P. Mears*, E. Mosby*, S. Mosby*, J. Reith*, B. Rizzo*, W.F. Rogers, G. Peaslee, W.A. Peters, A. Schiller, M.J. Scott*, S.L. Tabor, M. Thoennessen, P.J. Voss*, and T. Williams. Phys Rev. Lett. 100, 152502 (2007).

"Elastic Scattering of ⁶Li on ⁵⁸Ni at Energies Around the Coulomb Barrier", H. Garcia-Martinez, E.F. Aguilera, D. Lizcano, E. Martinez-Quiroz, J.J. Kolata, H.A. Amro, L.O. Lamm, H. Jiang, F.D. Becchetti, V. Guimaraes, R. Lichtenthaler, O. Camargo, P.A. DeYoung, and P.J. Mears*. XXIX Symposium on Nuclear Physics, Cocoyoc, Mexico, January 3-6, 2006.

"Elastic Scattering of for the System ⁷Be + ⁵⁸Ni at Energies Near the Coulomb Barrier", D. Lizcano, E.F. Aguilera, H. Garcia-Martinez, E. Martinez-Quiroz, J.J. Kolata, H.A. Amro, L.O. Lamm, H. Jiang, F.D, Becchetti, V. Guimaraes, R. Lichtenthaler, O. Camargo, P.A. DeYoung, and P.J. Mears*. XXIX Symposium on Nuclear Physics, Cocoyoc, Mexico, Janaury 3-6, 2006.

“Protons from ⁸B + ⁵⁸Ni”, E.F. Aguilera, E. Martinez-Quiroz, H. Garcia-Martinez, D. Luzcano, J.J. Kolata, L.O. Lamm, G. Rogachev, P.A. DeYoung, C. Guess*, U. Khadka*, P.J. Mears*, F.D. Becchetti, Y.Chen, H. Jiang, J.D. Hinnefeld, and G.F. Peaslee. Revista Mexicana de Fisica 52, 41 (2006).

"Two-neutron Transfer in the ⁶He + ²⁰⁹Bi Research Near the Coulomb Barrier". Patrick Mears*, P.A. DeYoung, G.F. Peaslee, J.J. Kolata, E.F. Aguilera, and F.D. Becchetti. FR. 00067 CEU Poster Session, 2005 2nd Joint Meeting of the Nuclear Physics Divisions of the APS and The Physical Society of Japan, Maui, Hawaii, September 2005.