Kevin Wei

Background

About Kevin Wei

The majority of my research experience so far in my career occurred at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (or JLab) and my involvement with the HDice group. The HDice group has performed nuclear physics experiments at the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS12) using spin-polarized hydrogen-deuteride target (HDice target). After successfully performing photon beam experiments, an experiment was performed to determine how the HDice target behaved under electron beams. In the years of preparation leading up to the experiment, I aided in the development of a polarized HDice target cell design that would be used in the electron-beam experiment and performed routine maintenance on various cryostats. Preparations for the HDice experiment involved developing an updated target cell. This process required the development of a method for constructing a target cell by experimenting with various materials and methods of production. The result was a target cell composed of an inner and outer fluro-polymer shell that serves as a container for holding HD. The target cell is constructed on a copper ring base with aluminum wires in situ to act as a heat sink. Following the construction of several target cells, polarized HD targets were produced and tested to determine the ideal method to track its polarization via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements. My Ph.D. dissertation focused on the analysis of experimental data to determine how the polarization of polarized hydrogen-deuteride behaves under electron beams and to assess what kinds of particle beam experiments the polarized hydrogen-deuteride was suitable for. The duration of the research consisted of two major parts: the completion of the HDice experiment and the analysis of its experimental results. The HDice experiment was conducted in five separate running periods in 2020-2021. The experiment was performed in a newly commissioned Upgraded Injector Test Facility capable of delivering up to 10 MeV electrons to the target. The results would be extrapolated in preparation of future experiments performed with 10 GeV electrons. During the experimentation of low-current electron beams on polarized hydrogen-deuteride, • I helped with maintenance and making necessary alterations to the beamline in the test facility. • Developed a LabView program capable of remotely monitoring various parameters such as beam current, cryostat pressure, and magnetic fields around the beamline, which was recorded for future analysis. • Took shifts to monitor the experiment and take routine NMR measurements.