Picture perfect MoNA has every neutron in place

Three-state consortium builds Modular Neutron Array

Photo by Shayna Breslin, "South Bend Tribune" Physics professor Jerry Hinnefeld (left) and IUSB student Jim Evans work on building a neutron detector at IU South Bend.

The device, used to measure data concerning neutrons in nuclear reactions, was built in sections by participating students and faculty at each institution, then transported and assembled at MSU.

IU South Bend juniors Jim Evans and Scott Marley spent the summer constructing and testing one of the nine layers of detector modules that were combined in MoNA.

The $1 million detector will be available for experiments by students and staff throughout the region. MSU is a four-hour drive from the IU South Bend campus.

"This will provide opportunities for IUSB students for a long time," said Jerry Hinnefeld, professor of physics. "They will learn about nuclear structure at the very limits of stability."