NERS Centers and Laboratory Descriptions
All of the facilities listed here are used by undergraduate and graduate students
in the NERS program. They are used for a mix of classes - NERS 315, NERS 425,
NERS 499, NERS 515, NERS 575, NERS 586, NERS 990, NERS 995 - and
for independent investigations.
Center Name (from online directory) |
Description |
| Bioelectromagnetism Laboratory |
Director: Professor Ronald M. Gilgenbach - experimental The Bioelectromagnetism Laboratory purpose is to investigate the interactions of high power non-ionizing radiation (ultrawideband (UWB) radio-frequency and microwaves) with biological cells. A major application being explored in this lab is ultrawideband radiation-enhanced chemotherapy of cancer cells. Major equipment includes a 10's MW ultrawideband generator, antenna system, 4 GHz digital data acquisition system, biohood and incubator. |
| Center for Ultrafast Optical |
Director: Professor Ted Norris
NERS Faculty: Professor Karl Krushelnick
NERS Faculty: Assistant Professor Alexander Thomas CUOS researchers develop optical equipment and techniques to generate, manipulate, and detect ultrashort and ultrahigh-peak-power light pulses. They use these ultrashort pulses to study ultrafast physical phenomena in atomic, nuclear, plasma, and materials physics, in solid-state electronics, and in high-energy-density physics. |
| Detection for Nuclear Nonproliferation |
Director: Associate Professor Sara Pozzi The Detection for Nuclear Nonproliferation is nterested in developing new tools and techniques for the detection and characterization of special nuclear material, such as uranium and plutonium. Lab research has applications in the areas of nuclear safeguards, nuclear nonproliferation, and homeland security. |
| Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory |
Director: Professor Lumin Wang The Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory (EMAL), a U-M facility http://www.emal.engin.umich.edu/index.html), has most of the modern electron microbeam equipment for material characterization. The facility has two branches, one on central campus and one on north campus. The north campus EMAL, which is a short distance from the department, presently houses a dedicated field emission gun (FEG) analytical transmission electron microscope (TEM), a dedicated high resolution TEM, two dual-beam Focused Ion Beam (FIB) workstations, an x-ray photoelectron spectrometer, an Auger photoelectron spectrometer, an FEG scanning electron microscope (SEM), an atomic force/scanning tunneling microscope (AFM/STM), and a nanoindenter. |
| High Temperature Corrosion Laboratory |
Director: Professor Gary S. Was The High Temperature Corrosion Laboratory (HTCL) provides the capability to conduct corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, and hydrogen embrittlement tests in high temperature aqueous environments and, in particular, simulated light water reactor environments. The corrosion laboratory has unique facilities for conducting both high and low temperature corrosion, stress corrosion cracking (SCC), electrochemical testing and mechanical testing. The HTCL consists of five refreshed autoclave systems (titanium or stainless steel construction), two mounted in constant extension rate machines and two in constant load machines, plus two static autoclaves (titanium construction) and a high temperature (550°C) steam CERT system. A single-sample supercritical water CERT system and a multi-sample CERT system with crack growth rate capabilities are operational. Each autoclave system is isolated from the other systems with independent water and computer monitoring systems. The lab also contains two full-featured corrosion measurement systems and two additional potentiostats. |
| Irradited Materials Testing Laboratory |
Director: Professor Gary S. Was The Irradiated Materials Testing Laboratory provides the capability to conduct high temperature corrosion and stress corrosion cracking of neutron irradiated materials and to characterize the fracture surfaces after failure. The laboratory consists of a high temperature autoclave, circulating water loop, load frame and servo motor for conducting constant extension rate tensile (CERT) and crack growth rate (CRG) tests in subcritical or supercritical water up to 600°C. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is also available for the analysis of fracture surfaces for sample fractured in either CERT or CGR modes in the autoclave system. Both the autoclave system and the SEM are mobile and may be used in either the hot cell or the accompanying laboratory. |
| Materials Preparation Laboratory |
Director: Professor Gary Was The Materials Preparation Laboratory provides facilities for the preparation and characterization of materials for materials research studies. The lab houses a grinding and polishing table for metallographic sample preparation, a tube furnace for annealing and heat treating, an electropolishing and etching system, a jet-electropolisher for making TEM disc samples, a slow speed cut-off wheel, a slurry drill, and a microscope and camera for imaging sample surfaces. |
| Metastable Materials Laboratory |
Director: Professor Michael Atzmon In the Metastable Materials Laboratory, studies of the kinetics and thermodynamics of nanocrystalline and amorphous materials are conducted. The lab is equipped with facilities for x-ray diffraction, calorimetry, mechanical alloying, and annealing of samples. One x-ray diffractometer is a General Electric powder instrument, and the other is a specialized Seeman-Bohlin thin-film diffractometer, both using computerized data acquisition. A state-of-the-art Perkin Elmer differential scanning calorimeter allows the measurements of enthalpies of transformation for samples weighing as little as one milligram. An argon-flow furnace utilizes titanium-gettered argon gas for high-purity annealing. |
| Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory |
Director: Professor Gary Was The Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory for Surface Modification and Analysis (MIBL) was completed in October of 1986. The laboratory was established for the purpose of advancing our understanding of ion-solid interactions by providing up-to-date equipment with unique and extensive facilities to support research at the cutting edge of science. Researchers from the University of Michigan as well as industry and other universities are encouraged to participate in this effort. The lab houses a 1.7 MV tandem ion accelerator, a 400 kV ion implanter and an ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) system. Additional facilities include a vacuum annealing furnace, a surface profilometry system, and a scanning laser surface curvature measurement system. The control of the parameters and the operation of these systems are mostly done by computers. They are interconnected through a local area network and the World Wide Web, allowing off-site monitoring and control. |
| Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute (MMPEI) |
Director: Professor Gary S. Was Develop, coordinate and promote multidisciplinary energy research and education across the University ; Grow the intellectual activity and infrastructure in key energy topics in addition to our existing strengths ; Establish new faculty and research appointments that combine strengths in science/technology with those in public policy, business, economics and social sciences; Serve as a unified voice on energy research and education for the University. |
| Neutron Science Laboratory |
Director: Assistant Professor Michael Hartman The Neutron Science Laboratory provides a hands-on neutron measurement experience for students within NERS. The lab is equipped with D-D and a D-T neutron generators with a capability of ~1E06 and ~1E10 neutrons/sec, respectively. The neutron generators are also available for researcher in NERS and elsewhere within the University who require a neutron radiation field for the conduct of their research. |
| Nuclear Measurements Teaching Laboratory |
Director: Professor Zhong He The Nuclear Measurements Teaching Laboratory is a spacious, well-equipped student laboratory located in the heart of the departmental activities. The room is setup so that three laboratory stations are set along lab benches that run along two of the walls, with windows and blackboards filling the other two walls. The central area of the room has a circle of tables. Students normally begin the laboratory with an introductory lecture on the experiments, and then move outward to the laboratory stations to conduct experiments. Each laboratory station has an oscilloscope and PC equipped with a multichannel analyzer. The PCs are networked so that students can communicate with printers and other computing resources as needed. Each laboratory station has the necessary electronics and detectors to conduct the experiment du jour. The electronics components that the students use include:pre-amplifier, shaping amplifier, time-to-amplitude converter, pulser, SCA, discriminator, coincidence unit. The students conduct their experiments using the detectors: geiger CsI, BaF, BGO scintillators, CZT, and BF3 detectors. A separate ante-room is used for storing a complete set of calibrated check sources and attenuators. More intense and interesting unknown radioactive materials are supplied by the nearby Phoenix Memorial Laboratory, which is also the storage home for our PuBe source of fast and thermal neutrons. With three laboratory stations functional, each lab section is limited to 9 students, with 6 students being the ideal. This forces each student to participate in the laboratory experience and ensures a more thoroughly supervised learning environment. The laboratory is kept locked when not in use. However, students commonly request and are granted access to the room (without sources) to check their data or experimental setup. With an instructor present, the students can re-do their experiments to explore their understanding more fully. Students are provided with film badges and must use the frisker prior to leaving the room. By the end of the course, the students are intimately familiar with the safe handling practices associated with radioactive materials and have developed an intuitive feel for the scale of radiation sources and fields. |
| Plasma, Pulsed Power and Microwave Laboratory |
Director: Professor Ronald M. Gilgenbach - experimental The Plasma, Pulsed Power and Microwave Laboratory is the center of e-beam-plasma experimental research. This laboratory utilizes a unique combination of intense electron beam accelerators and high power lasers. The Michigan Electron Long Beam Accelerator is a state-of-the-art machine which generates high current, relativistic (MV) electron beams with ultralong (microsecond) pulselengths. This accelerator, the first of its kind in the U.S., utilizes a unique compensation circuit which regulates the MELBA Marx generator voltage for microwave generation and other experiments. Advanced electron beam microwave generation experiments are performed by injecting the MELBA electron beam into various beam-cavity structures. Laser generated plasmas are ionized and heated by a high power rare gas-halogen (KrF) excimer laser. A channelspark electron beam system is being investigated for material ablation and processing. A number of other lasers are used for cathode heating and plasma diagnostics, including a CW YAG laser and a XeC1 excimer-pumped dye laser. Extensive diagnostic instrumentation exists in this laboratory, e.g., laser resonant interferometry, two spectographs with intensified CCD detectors, two 2-giga-sample per second four channel digital signal analyzers, and numerous fast oscilloscopes. These systems permit data acquisition of fast diagnostic signals. |
| The Plasma Science and Technology Laboratory |
Director: Professor Ronald M. Gilgenbach - experimental The Plasma Science and Technology Laboratory's focus is on understanding and applying plasma science to real world problems. Plasma science is a highly interdisciplinary field whose primary subject matter is ionized gas. DC, Rf , and microwave plasmas are investigated over a wide pressure window. The Laboratory tackles those fundamental plasma science problems and issues that have the potential for application. This applied plasma science approach addresses the need for basic plasma science research to improve our understanding of such phenomena and better apply plasma technology to real world problems. The lab has four major thrust areas: plasma space propulsion, plasma processing, environmental mitigation, and energy conversion. Particular attention is paid to those applications that protect the environment and those that improve the quality of life in underdeveloped countries. |
| Position-Sensing Semiconductor Radiation Detector Laboratory |
Director: Professor Zhong He The Position-Sensing Semiconductor Radiation Detector Laboratory is dedicated to the development of room-temperature semiconductor radiation detectors. The focuses of research include the design of advanced semiconductor-based gamma and neutron spectrometers, ultra-low noise Application Specific Integrated Circuitries (ASICs), real-time gamma-ray imaging reconstruction algorithms, and real-time nuclear isotope detection techniques. These instruments are being developed for applications in nuclear non-proliferation, homeland security, astrophysics, planetary sciences, medical imaging, high-energy physics experiments. |
| Radiation Detection Laboratory |
Director: Associate Professor Sara Pozzi The Detection for Nuclear Nonproliferation Lab is used to explore novel techniques for radiation detection and characterization for nuclear nonproliferation and homeland security applications. In addition, we study the detailed response of liquid and plastic sintillaction detectors in the presence of neutron and gamma-ray sources. The laboratory is equipped with detection systems, electronics, and fast (GHz) digitizers for pulse acquisition. Pulse analysis is performed on several PC's. |
| Radiation Effects and Nanomaterials Laboratory |
Director: Professor Lumin Wang The Radiation Effects and Nanomaterials Laboratory is for the preparation and analysis of materials for the study of radiation effects and nanoscience/technology. The laboratory facilities include: a Regarku Miniflex x-ray diffractometer (XRD), a high temperature furnace, a Gatan precision ion polishing (PIPS) workstation, an ultramicrotomy workstation, a carbon coater, and other standard equipment for TEM sample preparation. In addition, there are several computers with modern software packages for XRD and TEM data processing, analysis and simulation in the laboratory. |
| Radiation Imaging Laboratory |
Director: Professor Zhong He The Radiation Imaging Laboratory goal is to develop high-energy gamma ray imaging camera for industrial, space and medical applications. The laboratory explores the fundamental properties of nuclear radiation detectors, develops novel pulse processing electronics, simulates, builds and tests unique radiation imaging cameras, and explores new ideas in radiation image formation and reconstruction. |
| Radiological Health Engineering Laboratory |
Director: Professor Kimberlee Kearfott The Radiological Health Engineering (RHE) Laboratory (http://www-ners.engin.umich.edu/rhelab) includes equipment and space for the development and testing of new instruments and systems for application to specific radiological health problems. Work is concentrated on practical systems and radiation measurements methods deployable within the immediate future. The laboratory includes a large dark room, a low-background shielded room, an area for gamma ray spectroscopic analysis of large objects, and facilities for bench-top and analytical radiation detection experiments. Low-level (environmental) alpha, beta, x ray, and gamma ray spectroscopic capability is included. Equipment is available for the measurement of radon gas through the counting of charcoal canisters, and for real-time measurements of radon gas progeny in the air. A state-of-the-art thermoluminescent detection (TLD) system capable of reading a variety of dosimeters of different types and forms is operated in the laboratory for the measurement of doses in a variety of conditions. A number of phantoms and survey meters are available for testing of radiological imaging devices and monitoring of radiation environments. Work is conducted in novel detector and dosimeter design, as well as improvements in measurement methods for medical, industrial, laboratory and nuclear power radiation safety applications. |
