On June 3rd, Erin defended her PhD thesis, titled, “Probing the Isospin Composition of Short-Range Correlated Pairs at Jefferson Lab Hall B.” Erin’s graduate work encompassed a number of projects, all related to the phenomenon of “np-dominance,” the phenomenon that short-range correlated pairs are much more likely to form between a proton and neutron, rather than two protons or two neutrons. In addition to analyzing data from the CLAS e2a experiment, performing theory calculations using Generalized Contact Formalism, Erin was one of the leaders of the team that conducted the CLAS12 short-range correlations experiment in 2021–22, and helped to calibrate and analyze the data. Erin’s particular focus was on neutron detection. She applied her skills in machine learning to study the problem of discriminating signals produced by real neutrons from those produced by spurious charged particles (an example from Erin’s thesis is shown in the event display below). Erin was able train her machine learning models using samples of data from exclusive reactions, in which the neutron’s momentum vector could be inferred from other detected particles (see figure below, right).
Erin received her B.S. in physics from Le Moyne College in 2013, and her M.S. in physics from the University of Maryland. She joined the GWU Jefferson Lab Group in 2020 as a Columbian Distinguished Fellow. This year, she was named the Physics Department’s winner of the 2024 Berman Prize for excellence in experimental physics. Beyond her scientific accomplishments, Erin contributed in so many positive ways to this group, through her leadership, her mentorship, her fostering of a supportive team environment, and especially her tenacity at every physics problem she faced. As she moves to the next stage of her career she will be missed by all of us.