F. EDWARD CECIL

	Professor F. Edward Cecil Meyer Hall Rm. 457 Phone: 273-3736 email: fcecil@mines.edu
Professor. BS University of Maryland; MA,PhD Princeton University.

Research Interests

One of my primary areas of research is the measurement and applications of cross sections of light-ion nuclear reactions at relatively low energies (20-180 keV). Over the past dozen years, our measurements were made using ion beams from a converted Texas Nuclear 150-keV neutron generator. These measurements included the reactions t,gamma)5He,(d,gamma)4He and d(3He,gamma)3Li. We have a low-energy particle accelerator supplied by General Ionex (Model 1545) which has high current and a good beam quality and provides a maximum energy of 180 keV for singly ionized particles. Reactions measured on this machine include p(d,gamma)3He, p(6Li,gamma)7Be, p(7Li, gamma)8Be, and 11Be(p,gamma)12C at center-of-mass energies down to 7 keV. An important application of these reactions is to the problem of very-high- temperature fusion plasma diagnostics. They offer the opportunity for noninvasive measurements of reaction rates of d-3He, d-t, and advanced fuel cycle fusion plasmas. Partly as a result of our cross section measurements, programs are now underway at Princeton and Oxford Universities to implement these diagnostic concepts.

We anticipate future reaction measurements which can be applied to stellar and Big Bang nucleosynthesis; specifically, the synthesis of 6Li and 7Be by two-body light-ion direct nuclear reactions at low energies. The accelerator has been used to carry out some promising studies of "cold" nuclear fusion. Lest it should appear that all of my time and energies are tied up in the physics research I've described, I wish to report that I find time to do "folk fiddling" here in Colorado as well.

 Last Modified: August 22, 2005
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