Center for Emerging Energy Sciences
The Center for Emerging Energy Science (CEES) is a research group within the TTU Department
of Physics and Astronomy exploring basic energy sciences and new applications in nuclear
science. CEES is run by Dr Robert V. Duncan. He has invented or co-invented 13 awarded
USA patents and 42 international patents, and has many other inventions and patent
applications in process.
Recently, a new sub-field called quantum nucleonics has emerged which provides a new
systematic way to study nuclear science. We are currently conducting several collaborative
projects at Texas Tech University and several others with the University of Missouri
Research Reactor (MURR). These involve experimentally determining the source of novel
nuclear reactions within various metal hydrides. Our experiments and simulations
seek to determine whether nuclear polarization, nuclear excitation, and quantum population
inversion in some nuclei can increase cross sections for nuclear reactions. If it
is possible for lattice dynamics to influece nuclear dynamics in metals, then incoherent
X-ray or gamma irradiation may make certain nuclear fission and fusion reactions easier
to achieve.
Our research group has developed picomole-resolution mass spectrometers for light
isotopes, fast-response nitrogen calorimeters, electric pulsing systems, and vacuum
calorimeters. We are also conducting collaborative projects using Dynacool and Quantulus
instruments
Click below to learn more about our projects, people, publications, and patents.