BYLINE: Michelle Alvarez
Newswise — NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Provakar Datta, currently a postdoctoral researcher with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL), arrived at the DOE’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility with a mission that would test both his doctoral thesis and his resilience.
After relocating from the University of Connecticut to Jefferson Lab in 2021, Datta began preparing for the installation of the BigBite and Super BigBite Spectrometers (SBS), the core of his thesis research. These spectrometers enabled the measurement of the neutron magnetic form factor, an observation scientists use to describe the electromagnetic structure within a neutron.
That work has now earned Datta the 2024 Jefferson Science Associates, LLC (JSA) Thesis Prize, one of the top honors for graduate research in nuclear physics. The prize is given every year to the top Ph.D. thesis on Jefferson Lab-related research. Judges consider four criteria: the quality of the writing, the student’s contribution to the research, the work’s impact on the field of physics, and how the work contributes to science at Jefferson Lab or other experiments. Winners get a $2,500 cash award and a commemorative plaque.
The prize is funded by the JSA Initiatives Fund program, which provides support for programs, initiatives and activities that further the scientific outreach, and promote the science, education and technology missions of Jefferson Lab and benefit the laboratory’s user community. The prize was established in 1999 by the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA), owner of JSA.
The experiment employed several state-of-the-art detectors, enabling researchers to examine the neutron’s internal structure with energetic electrons. At these electron energies, they can “zoom in” to reveal the tiniest details inside the neutron, much like increasing the resolution of a microscope.
To gather that data, he and a small on-site team installed and tested multiple newly designed detectors.
Datta led the commissioning and operation that informed the data acquisition software when to record an event, assisted in troubleshooting the hardware, and developed simulation and calibration tools to ensure high quality data acquisition.
An already challenging installation became nearly impossible with a reduced workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. Datta and his colleagues faced several roadblocks but overcame them through teamwork and collaboration.
One incident remains vivid in Datta’s memory. After weeks of installing and testing various detector components, they discovered that a crucial set of cables was too short to reach the detectors. With deadlines looming and a beamline waiting, Datta, Arun Tadepalli, a staff scientist in Experimental Hall A and Eric Fuchey, then a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Connecticut, prepared to make, install and inspect more than 250 cable extensions by hand over the course of one weekend.
The long hours and dirty hands quickly proved worth it.
Datta described the moment they saw the physics signal appear from the beam as “unreal,” an experience, he said, that still gives him goosebumps.
But beyond the initial confirmation that they were detecting the intended particles, the implications of their findings were profound.
“Neutrons are very interesting subatomic particles,” Datta said. “They are electrically neutral overall, but they exhibit a rich internal electromagnetic structure. That structure includes a positive and negative charge that cancels out.”
By firing energetic electrons at neutrons and measuring their interactions, Datta and the team were able to trace how those internal charges are arranged. The higher the energy of the beam, the more detailed the picture becomes.
“This level of precision has never been achieved before,” Datta said. “And it is expected to stay unmatched for years to come.”
Datta led the analysis of the experimental data to extract key physics insights. These findings significantly advance the current understanding of the electromagnetic structure of the neutron, crucial to the atomic nuclei that make up all visible matter in the universe.
Collaboration and Impact
Andrew Puckett, a physics professor at the University of Connecticut, Datta’s advisor and a longtime leader in the SBS collaboration, said Datta shaped the project at nearly every level.
“Provakar has been deeply involved in all of the most intensive and important phases of a large, accelerator-based experiment,” Puckett said.
Puckett described Datta’s automated analysis framework as critical to the experiment’s success.
“The machinery for real physics analysis of the dataset is entirely his own independent creation,” he wrote. “It is an example of student surpassing teacher.”
That reputation extended well beyond his research group.
John Arrington, a senior scientist at DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, fellow SBS collaborator, and Datta’s current supervisor, said Datta’s clear communication and technical leadership have always set him apart.
“Provakar did exceptional work as a graduate student, making critical contributions to the hardware, calibrations, analysis and simulations for his thesis experiment,” said Arrington. “Beyond this, he also provided important support to the broader SBS program, helped other students and gave exceptionally clear presentations of the physics and the results.”
Arrington credited him with developing core simulation tools, analysis methods and a streamlined process for turning raw data into physics-ready results. Even while completing his thesis, Datta continued to support the broader SBS program and other Jefferson Lab experiments.
A Path Forward
Datta attributes his success to a long list of mentors and collaborators, including Puckett, Tadepalli and Hall A Group Leader Mark Jones, among others.
“Most of my software and analysis expertise comes from my advisor, Andrew,” Datta said. “And most of my hardware and operation skills were shaped by Mark. I have learned so much from them.”
He also acknowledged the personal support that made his journey possible.
“My father has passed, but he always dreamed that I would pursue higher studies,” he said. “Even in his absence, my mother, my sister and her family have supported me the whole way.”
Datta plans to continue exploring questions in nuclear and particle physics, either in an academic setting or a laboratory.
He credits the Relativistic Nuclear Collisions group at LBNL with supporting his efforts to publish his research and broaden his scientific focus. He also hopes to mentor future scientists, a role he found especially meaningful during his doctoral studies.
“There is still so much to uncover,” he said. “This is not just my work. It is the product of a large collaboration, and I hope it contributes to answering some of the most fundamental questions of our time.”
Further Reading
Contact Michelle Alvarez, Jefferson Lab Communications Office, [email protected]
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DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science
