Lauren Reed is a PhD student from England, with research interests lying in the fields of nuclear chemistry and physics, especially in relation to the production and study of actinide samples and superheavy elements. Prior to obtaining a Master of Science degree in Physics from the University of Surrey, Lauren acquired a Bachelor of Science degree with Honours in Chemistry from Teesside University.
Lauren is experienced with many types of radiation measurement and detection techniques. Her recent projects include heavy metal extraction and determination, ranges in air of alpha particle emitting actinides and nuclear properties of superheavy elements.
Lauren loves exercising and when she is not in the laboratory, you will be able to find her in the gym.
Actinide sample preparation and characterization techniques for the LISA network will be developed and refined and applied to supply actinide samples. Production methods include molecular plating and drop-on-demand printing, ideally suited for applications with special requirements (e.g., ultra-thin backing materials; restricted material availability; picoliter-volume droplet samples). Studies of the target behaviour under heat-inducing conditions (ion bombardment, high-intensity laser irradiation) will be performed, and the samples will be characterized using suitable techniques including alpha-/beta/gamma spectrometry; radiographic imaging; SEM with EDX; XPS; NAA. Standard samples of several actinide elements will be produced for utilization by the beneficiaries/partners, e.g., at JYU, LUH IRS, and GANIL.
Preparation of advanced high-performance targets; method optimization will allow sample production from minimized amounts of exotic actinide materials, expanding the range of isotopes that are available for laser-based study. Improved understanding of target behaviour under harsh conditions will be obtained, leading to production of targets with improved mechanical stability. Targets, e.g., of plutonium and of protactinium for applications at JYU will be produced. Reference sample introduction in liquid picoliter volume droplets will be established and incorporated into setups like a resonance laser secondary neutral mass spectrometer at LUH IRS.
This Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) Innovative Training Networks (ITN) receives funding from the European Union’s H2020 Framework Programme under grant agreement no. 861198