APS Division of Nuclear Physics

The Division of Nuclear Physics (DNP) is comprised of scientists and educators who study fundamental problems related to the nature of matter. Nuclear scientists probe the properties of nuclei and nuclear matter and the interactions of their ultimate constituents — quarks and gluons. They also address interdisciplinary questions: the basis of fundamental symmetries in nature, the first moments of the universe, the origin of the elements, education, and the application of nuclei and nuclear techniques to meet societal needs including medical diagnoses and treatment, energy, advanced materials, and Homeland Security. DNP interests have significant overlap with other APS Divisions, Topical Groups and Forums.

A new measurement of the neutron-³He incoherent scattering length

Scientists from Tulane University, the National Institute of Standards and Techology (NIST), and the University of North Carolina, Wilmington recently completed a precision measurement of the incoherent neutron scattering length of helium-3 using the NIST Interferometry and Optics Facility at the NIST Center for Neutron Research. The incoherent scattering length is a measure of the spin-dependence of the low-energy interaction potential between a free neutron and a helium-3 atom, a rare isotope of helium whose nucleus contains two protons and one neutron. This quantity is important for testing theories that describe the strong-force potential between neutrons and protons, and for interpreting neutron scattering measurements of quantum excitations in liquid helium. More