Title: Brad Plaster's Department of Energy Grant Renewed

Contact: Brian Connors

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by Guy Spriggs

Physics & Astronomy professor Brad Plaster was recently awarded a renewal of his Outstanding Junior Investigator in Nuclear Physics Award from the Department of Energy (DOE). Plaster was originally awarded this grant in 2008, and his renewed grant includes a 50% increase in funding level.

“I was very excited to learn that the DOE decided to renew my grant,” Plaster said.

The research supported by Plaster’s grant concerns high-precision tests of the fundamental symmetries of parity and time-reversal in experiments with neutrons. Plaster hopes to find an electric dipole moment – a tiny separation between a positive and negative charge – within the electrically neutral neutron. This, Plaster explains, has the potential to increase our understanding of how the universe came to consist of more matter than anti-matter.

“This grant will support work towards the development of a new experiment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to search for a neutron electric dipole moment,” Plaster said. UK professors Chris Crawford and Wolfgang Korsch are collaborating with Plaster in this effort.

During his time at UK, Plaster has been able to make significant progress on his the research outlined in his original grant proposal. In Plaster’s mind, this success has been facilitated by start-up funds provided by the University, the stimulating intellectual environment with his UK nuclear physics colleagues and strong support from his department chair.

“A major factor in my progress has been the excellent support I have received from UK for my research program,” he said.

Article Date: 3/27/2011