Sally Hicks - Faculty Insights

Sally Hicks, Constantin College

Neutron Interactions with Matter

"Opportunities for Undergraduate Research in Nuclear Physics", S.F. Hicks, T.D. Nguyen, D.T. Jackson, S.G. Block, S.T. Byrd, M.T. Nickel, J.R. Vanhov, E.E. Peters, A.P.D. Ramírez, M.T. McEllistrem, S. Mukhopadhyay, and S.W. Yates. Physics Procedia, Volume 90, 2017, Pages 323-331.    View Online

“⁵⁴Fe Neutron Elastic and Inelastic Scattering Differential Cross Sections from 2-6 MeV,” J.R. Vanhoy, S.H. Liu, S.F. Hicks, et al.,  Nucl. Phys. A 972 , 107-120 (2018).  View Online

  Faculty Profile: Sally Hicks

In the Author's Words

Next-generation fission reactors are being designed to provide safer, cleaner, and more efficiently generated energy.  Neutrons play a major rule in the fission process and the reactor environment contains many of them reacting with fuel, structural materials, and coolant.  As new reactors are designed, it is important that engineers have precise and accurate neutron interaction cross sections.  The work of my research group focuses on measuring neutron scattering cross sections important for understanding the reactor environment. Equally important is understanding the nuclear force and how neutrons interact with matter.  University of Dallas are very actively involved with the measurements and analyses of the data obtained.