Research Interests

• Accelerator-based nuclear reaction experiments
• High energy density physics
• Machine learning and uncertainty quantification
• Physical modeling of complex systems
• Stockpile stewardship science

Background

Robert Casperson’s graduate research at Yale University focused on accelerator-based nuclear structure experiments as well as describing nuclei with algebraic models. As a postdoc at LLNL, Casperson fielded and analyzed nuclear reaction experiments on short-lived nuclei using the surrogate reaction technique and worked on an active interrogation-based special nuclear material detection project. Since transitioning to a staff physicist position at LLNL, he has worked on analysis and model development for the fission time projection chamber (fissionTPC) project, which includes technologies and techniques that draw from both low-energy and high-energy nuclear physics. Through high energy density design, he has also studied various plasma physics processes that are relevant to experiments at the National Ignition Facility. He most recently performed nuclear data sensitivity studies as part of an L1 milestone.

Ph.D. Physics, Yale University, 2010

M.S. Physics, Yale University, 2008

B.S. Physics, Oregon State University, 2004

1. R. J. Casperson et al., Measurement of the normalized 238U(n,f)/235U(n,f) cross section ratio from threshold to 30 MeV with the fission Time Projection Chamber, Physical Review C 97, 034618 (2018).
2. D. A. Brown et al., ENDF/B-VIII.0: The 8th Major Release of the Nuclear Reaction Data Library with CIELO-project Cross Sections, New Standards and Thermal Scattering Data, Nuclear Data Sheets 148, 1 (2018).
3. P. A. Chodash, J. T. Burke, E. B. Norman, S. C. Wilks, R. J. Casperson, S. E. Fisher, K. S. Holliday, J. R. Jeffries, M. A. Wakeling, Nuclear excitation by electronic transition of U-235, Physical Review C 93, 034610 (2016).
4. A. Simon, M. Guttormsen, A. C. Larsen, C. W. Beausang, P. Humby, J. T. Burke, R. J. Casperson, R. O. Hughes, T. J. Ross, J. M. Allmond, R. Chyzh, M. Dag, J. Koglin, E. McCleskey, M. McCleskey, S. Ota, A. Saastamoinen, First observation of low-energy gamma-ray enhancement in the rare-earth region, Physical Review C 93, 034303 (2016).
5. R. O. Hughes, J. T. Burke, R. J. Casperson, J. E. Escher, S. Ota, J. J. Ressler, N. D. Scielzo, R. A. E. Austin, B. Abromeit, N. J. Foley, E. McCleskey, M. McCleskey, H. I. Park, T. J. Ross, A. Saastamoinen, Investigation of Y-88 via (p,d gamma) reactions, Physical Review C 93, 024315 (2016).
6. P. Humby, A. Simon, C. W. Beausang, T. J. Ross, R. O. Hughes, J. T. Burke, R. J. Casperson, J. Koglin, S. Ota, J. M. Allmond, M. McCleskey, E. McCleskey, A. Saastamoinen, R. Chyzh, M. Dag, K. Gell, T. Tarlow, G. Vyas, Improved measurement of the half-life of the Jpi = 8- nuclear isomer 152m2Eu, Physical Review C 91, 024322 (2015).
7. R. J. Casperson, J. T. Burke, N. D. Scielzo, J. E. Escher, A. Blanc, M. Kurokawa, M. McCleskey, R. G. Pizzone, A. Ratkiewicz, A. Saastamoinen, E. Simmons, and A. Spiridon. Measurement of the 240Am(n,f) cross section using the surrogate-ratio method, Physical Review C 90, 034601 (2014).
8. R. J. Casperson, V. Werner, and S. Heinze. Hexadecapole degree of freedom in 94Mo. Physics Letters B, 721, 51 (2013).
9. T.J. Ross, C.W. Beausang, R.O. Hughes, N.D. Scielzo, J.T. Burke, J.M. Allmond, C.T. Angell, M.S. Basunia, D.L. Bleuel, R.J. Casperson, J.E. Escher, P. Fallon, R. Hatarik, J. Munson, S. Paschalis, M. Petri, L. Phair, and J.J. Ressler. Spectroscopy of 88Y by the (p,dg) reaction, Physical Review C, 86, 067301, (2012).
10. R. J. Casperson, IBAR: Interacting boson model calculations for large system sizes. Computer Physics Communications, 183, 1029–1035, (2012).