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Richard A. Arndt (Emeritus)
William J. Briscoe (Director)
Kalvir S. Dhuga
Harald W. Greißhammer
Helmut Haberzettl
Donald R. Lehman
Leonard C. Maximon
Allena Opper
Mark Paris
Igor I. Strakovsky
Ron Workman
Erik Heid
Hideko Iwamoto
Tilan Ukwatta
Center for Nuclear Studies
Department of Physics
The George Washington University
Washington, D.C. 20052
Telephone: (202) 994-6275
Fax: (202) 994-3001
Email: cns@www.gwu.edu
The Center for Nuclear Studies (CNS)
is a university-sponsored Center of Excellence.
The CNS provides the organizational umbrella for many of the research efforts in
nuclear physics in the Department
of Physics at The George Washington
University. The basic objective of these efforts is to contribute
to the world's understanding of the dynamics and structure of nuclear matter,
whether at the level of the atomic nucleus itself, at the subnuclear level
of nucleons and mesons within the atomic nucleus, or even at the sub-subnuclear
level where one deals with elementary constituents of nucleons and mesons.
This objective is pursued both experimentally and theoretically, with an
equal balance between experiment and theory. On the experimental side,
it requires devising experiments where one bombards nuclei with various
probes – for example, electromagnetic radiation, electrons, mesons, protons,
or other nuclei – and measures the resulting final fragments to gain information
about the forces acting both between the constituents of the targets and
between projectiles and targets. On the theoretical side, this interpretation
of experimental findings requires the guidance of dynamical theories that
provide models for the reactions under scrutiny, making predictions as
to their possible outcome. It is the iterative process of theoretical predictions
and subsequent experimental findings, leading in turn to more refined theoretical
descriptions and hence better predictions, which drives the quest for knowledge
in physics.
The various research projects of the Center's members are carried out in collaboration
with colleagues from around the world, with experiments taking place at
several North American and European laboratories. Many of the current and
future projects are geared to the new Thomas
Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) at Newport
News, VA. JLab is the world's
premier electron accelerator for nuclear physics, and GW is one of the
charter members of the governing body of JLab, the
Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA).
CNS physics faculty have been involved in
the planning of JLab from the very beginning. Currently, CNS members are
co-spokespersons for six approved
JLab experiments.
Other experiments
under GW leadership are being carried out at the
Mainz Microtron in Germany and anticipated at MAX-lab in Lund, Sweden.
The relatively large number of nuclear physicists at GW – one of the largest university-based nuclear-physics groups in the nation – makes the CNS a very congenial work environment with a high degree of interaction between theorists and experimentalists pursuing the common goal of unraveling the laws governing nuclear reactions. This also provides a unique opportunity for students at both graduate and undergraduate levels to become involved in internationally recognized research at a very early stage, giving them a 'hands-on' learning experience at the forefront of basic research.
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