This is the first of the Megavolts series of videos, from the Accelerator Control Room. In this episode Dr Phil Dooley speaks with Dr Annette Berriman about the experiments going on at that moment – smashing lithium-7 into a gold target.
The discussion ranges from how lithium is a weird shape, through how messy stars are, to what it’s like to be glowing with gamma rays after a bone scan with technetium-99.
For more behind the scenes info about HIAF – the Heavy-Ion Accelerator Facility – and the Department of Nuclear Physics and Accelerator Applications, visit our online tour. It features 360 degree photos, popups with interesting details, and students and staff dropping in to explain what you’re looking at.