The low-energy properties of atomic nuclei are predicted to show dramatic changes when the ratio of neutrons-toprotons in the nucleus becomes extremely unbalanced. My research group is working to deduce the electromagnetic properties of nuclei which have extreme neutron-to-proton ratios. The desired nuclei, which exist for only fractions of a second, are produced in very small quantities using intermediate-energy reactions at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) at Michigan State University.

Two electromagnetic properties of interest are the nuclear magnetic dipole moment and nuclear electric quadrupole moment. The dipole moment is sensitive to the orbital component of the angular momentum of any unpaired protons and/or neutrons in the nucleus. The dipole moment provides information on the nuclear quantum structure and the occupied single-particle states. The quadrupole moment is a measure of the deviation of the average charge distribution of the nucleus away from spherical symmetry. The shape of the collection of protons and neutrons in the nucleus, e.g. the nuclear collectivity or “deformation”, can be inferred from the quadrupole moment.