Nuclear Structure and Reactions: Theory and Experiment
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Surrey
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
Nuclear physics research is undergoing a transformation. For a hundred years, atomic nuclei have been probed by collisions between stable beams and stable targets, with just a small number of radioactive isotopes being available. Now, building on steady progress over the past 20 years, it is at last becoming possible to generate intense beams of a wide range of short-lived isotopes, so-called "radioactive beams". This enables us vastly to expand the scope of experimental nuclear research. For example, it is now realistic to plan to study in the laboratory a range of nuclear reactions that take place in exploding stars. Thereby, we will be able to understand how the chemical elements that we find on Earth were formed and distributed through the Universe.
At the core of our experimental research is our strong participation at leading international radioactive-beam facilities. While we are now contributing, or planning to contribute, to substantial technical developments at these facilities, the present grant request is focused on the exploitation of the capabilities that are now becoming available.
Experimental progress is intimately linked with theory, where novel and practical approaches are a hallmark of the Surrey group. An outstanding feature, which is key to our group's research plans and is unique in the UK, is our powerful blend of theoretical and experimental capability.
Our science goals are aligned with current STFC strategy for nuclear physics, as expressed in detail through the Nuclear Physics Advisory Panel. We wish to understand the boundaries of nuclear existence, i.e. the limiting conditions that enable neutrons and protons to bind together to form nuclei. Under such conditions, the nuclear system is in a delicate state and shows unusual phenomena. It is very sensitive to the properties of the nuclear force. For example, weakly bound neutrons can orbit their parent nucleus at remarkably large distances. This is already known, and our group made key contributions to this knowledge. What is unknown is whether, and to what extent, the neutrons and protons can show different collective behaviours. Also unknown, for most elements, is how many neutrons can bind to a given number of protons. It is features such as these that determine how stars explode. To tackle these problems, we need a more sophisticated understanding of the nuclear force, and we need experimental information about nuclei with unusual combinations of neutrons and protons to test our theoretical ideas and models. Therefore, theory and experiment go hand-in-hand as we push forward towards the nuclear limits.
An overview of nuclear binding reveals that about one half of predicted nuclei have never been observed, and the vast majority of this unknown territory involves nuclei with an excess of neutrons. Much of our activity addresses this "neutron-rich" territory, exploiting the new capabilities with radioactive beams.
Our principal motivation is the basic science, and we contribute strongly to the world sum of knowledge and understanding. Nevertheless, there are more-tangible benefits. For example, our radiation-detector advances can be incorporated in medical diagnosis and treatment. In addition, we provide an excellent training environment for our research students and staff, many of whom go on to work in the nuclear power industry, helping to fill the current skills gap. On a more adventurous note, our special interest in nuclear isomers (energy traps) could lead to novel energy applications. Furthermore, we have a keen interest in sharing our specialist knowledge with a wide audience, and we already have an enviable track record with the media.
At the core of our experimental research is our strong participation at leading international radioactive-beam facilities. While we are now contributing, or planning to contribute, to substantial technical developments at these facilities, the present grant request is focused on the exploitation of the capabilities that are now becoming available.
Experimental progress is intimately linked with theory, where novel and practical approaches are a hallmark of the Surrey group. An outstanding feature, which is key to our group's research plans and is unique in the UK, is our powerful blend of theoretical and experimental capability.
Our science goals are aligned with current STFC strategy for nuclear physics, as expressed in detail through the Nuclear Physics Advisory Panel. We wish to understand the boundaries of nuclear existence, i.e. the limiting conditions that enable neutrons and protons to bind together to form nuclei. Under such conditions, the nuclear system is in a delicate state and shows unusual phenomena. It is very sensitive to the properties of the nuclear force. For example, weakly bound neutrons can orbit their parent nucleus at remarkably large distances. This is already known, and our group made key contributions to this knowledge. What is unknown is whether, and to what extent, the neutrons and protons can show different collective behaviours. Also unknown, for most elements, is how many neutrons can bind to a given number of protons. It is features such as these that determine how stars explode. To tackle these problems, we need a more sophisticated understanding of the nuclear force, and we need experimental information about nuclei with unusual combinations of neutrons and protons to test our theoretical ideas and models. Therefore, theory and experiment go hand-in-hand as we push forward towards the nuclear limits.
An overview of nuclear binding reveals that about one half of predicted nuclei have never been observed, and the vast majority of this unknown territory involves nuclei with an excess of neutrons. Much of our activity addresses this "neutron-rich" territory, exploiting the new capabilities with radioactive beams.
Our principal motivation is the basic science, and we contribute strongly to the world sum of knowledge and understanding. Nevertheless, there are more-tangible benefits. For example, our radiation-detector advances can be incorporated in medical diagnosis and treatment. In addition, we provide an excellent training environment for our research students and staff, many of whom go on to work in the nuclear power industry, helping to fill the current skills gap. On a more adventurous note, our special interest in nuclear isomers (energy traps) could lead to novel energy applications. Furthermore, we have a keen interest in sharing our specialist knowledge with a wide audience, and we already have an enviable track record with the media.
Planned Impact
Here we address more specifically the wider community who may benefit from our basic research.
A key current topic is that of nuclear security. Here our advanced experimental and theoretical techniques may help to address the needs of the security industry. In this regard we are well connected with AWE plc, including collaborative PhD students.
We have recently developed strong links with the National Physical Laboratory, where we enhance their capabilities in radionuclide metrology.
Sustainable energy production is another vital issue for society, and nuclear energy has an important role to play. We have made fundamental advances that lead to a better understanding of decay heat in nuclear reactors. Furthermore, our basic studies of both reaction processes and the structure of unstable nuclei may be important for future nuclear energy technologies.
Cancer diagnosis and treatment is of great importance. Our radiation-detector advances can lead to improved imaging systems, that benefit cancer and other medical treatments.
A key current topic is that of nuclear security. Here our advanced experimental and theoretical techniques may help to address the needs of the security industry. In this regard we are well connected with AWE plc, including collaborative PhD students.
We have recently developed strong links with the National Physical Laboratory, where we enhance their capabilities in radionuclide metrology.
Sustainable energy production is another vital issue for society, and nuclear energy has an important role to play. We have made fundamental advances that lead to a better understanding of decay heat in nuclear reactors. Furthermore, our basic studies of both reaction processes and the structure of unstable nuclei may be important for future nuclear energy technologies.
Cancer diagnosis and treatment is of great importance. Our radiation-detector advances can lead to improved imaging systems, that benefit cancer and other medical treatments.
Organisations
Publications
Daniel T
(2017)
? -ray spectroscopy of low-lying excited states and shape competition in Os 194
in Physical Review C
Rios A
(2017)
Pairing and short-range correlations in nuclear systems
De Roubin A
(2017)
Nuclear deformation in the A ˜ 100 region: Comparison between new masses and mean-field predictions
in Physical Review C
Kievsky A
(2017)
Saturation properties of helium drops from a leading-order description
in Physical Review A
Timofeyuk N
(2017)
Hyperspherical Harmonics Expansion on Lagrange Meshes for Bosonic Systems in One Dimension
in Few-Body Systems
Larijani C
(2017)
Progress on the chemical separation of fission fragments from 236 Np produced by proton irradiation of natural uranium target
in Radiation Physics and Chemistry
Barton M
(2017)
Magnetic Dipole Transitions with the Full Skyrme Interaction
Barbieri C
(2017)
An Advanced Course in Computational Nuclear Physics
Guadilla V
(2017)
Experimental study of Tc 100 ß decay with total absorption ? -ray spectroscopy
in Physical Review C
Morales A
(2017)
Simultaneous investigation of the T = 1 ( J p = 0 + ) and T = 0 ( J p = 9 + ) ß decays in Br 70
in Physical Review C
Larijani C
(2017)
Reference materials produced for a European metrological research project focussing on measurements of NORM.
in Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine
Crawford, H.L.
(2017)
Unexpected distribution of ?1f7/2 strength in Ca 49
Gurgi L
(2017)
Isomer spectroscopy of neutron-rich 168Tb103
in Radiation Physics and Chemistry
Wood R
(2017)
Three-quasiparticle isomer in Ta 173 and the excitation energy dependence of K -forbidden transition rates
in Physical Review C
Bailey G
(2017)
Nonlocal nucleon-nucleus interactions in ( d , p ) reactions: Role of the deuteron D state
in Physical Review C
Gurgi L
(2017)
Nanosecond lifetime measurements of Ip=9/2- intrinsic excited states and low-lying B(E1) strengths in 183Re using combined HPGe-LaBr3 coincidence spectroscopy
in Radiation Physics and Chemistry
Mohamud H
(2017)
Progress towards the development of a rapid analytical approach for separation of 226 Ra using dibenzo-18-crown-6 ether functionalised silica (SiO 2 ) disks
in Radiation Physics and Chemistry
Browne F
(2017)
K selection in the decay of the ( ? 5 2 [ 532 ] ? 3 2 [ 411 ] ) 4 - isomeric state in Zr 102
in Physical Review C
Bazin D
(2017)
Doubly Magic Nickel
in Physics
Shams H
(2017)
A review of the evaluation of TENORM levels at the produced water lagoon of the Minagish oil field using high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry
in Radiation Physics and Chemistry
Judge S
(2017)
Radionuclide metrology research for nuclear site decommissioning
in Radiation Physics and Chemistry
Walker P
(2017)
Isomer building blocks and K -forbidden decays
in Physica Scripta
Rios A
(2017)
Comparison of nuclear Hamiltonians using spectral function sum rules
in Physical Review C
Crawford H
(2017)
Unexpected distribution of ? 1 f 7 / 2 strength in Ca 49
in Physical Review C
Caballero-Folch R
(2017)
ß -decay half-lives and ß -delayed neutron emission probabilities for several isotopes of Au, Hg, Tl, Pb, and Bi, beyond N = 126
in Physical Review C
Rios A
(2017)
Pairing and Short-Range Correlations in Nuclear Systems.
in Journal of low temperature physics
Scott M
(2017)
Observation of the Isovector Giant Monopole Resonance via the Si 28 ( Be 10 , B * 10 [ 1.74 MeV ] ) Reaction at 100 A MeV
in Physical Review Letters
Gonzalez-Boquera C
(2017)
Higher-order symmetry energy and neutron star core-crust transition with Gogny forces
Welker A
(2017)
Binding Energy of ^{79}Cu: Probing the Structure of the Doubly Magic ^{78}Ni from Only One Proton Away.
in Physical review letters
Koseoglou P
(2018)
The boundary of the N=90 shape phase transition: $^{148}$Ce
McIlroy C
(2018)
Doubly magic nuclei from lattice QCD forces at M PS = 469 MeV / c 2
in Physical Review C
Carbone A
(2018)
Microscopic predictions of the nuclear matter liquid-gas phase transition
in Physical Review C
Nakhostin M
(2018)
Pulse-height loss in the signal readout circuit of compound semiconductor detectors
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Koseoglou P
(2018)
The boundary of the N=90 shape phase transition: 148 Ce
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Atar L
(2018)
Quasifree ( p , 2 p ) Reactions on Oxygen Isotopes: Observation of Isospin Independence of the Reduced Single-Particle Strength
in Physical Review Letters
Heine M
(2018)
The STELLA apparatus for particle-Gamma coincidence fusion measurements with nanosecond timing
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Fernández-DomÃnguez B
(2018)
How sharp is the transition into the N=20 island of inversion for the Mg isotopes ?
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Fernández-DomÃnguez B
(2018)
Re-examining the transition into the N = 20 island of inversion: Structure of 30Mg
in Physics Letters B
Recchia F
(2018)
Neutron knockout from 68,70 Ni ground and isomeric states.
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Giatzoglou A
(2018)
A Facility for Production and Laser Cooling of Cesium Isotopes and Isomers
Wen K
(2018)
Two-body dissipation effect in nuclear fusion reactions
in Physical Review C
Raimondi F
(2018)
Algebraic diagrammatic construction formalism with three-body interactions
in Physical Review C
| Description | The grant has funded experimental work at RIKEN, TRIUMF, Argonne, GANIL and other international laboratories and theoretical collaborations with RIKEN, MSU, GSI and other major centres. New isomeric states in exotic nuclei were discovered and much-improved measurements of nuclear astrophysical cross sections were determined. |
| Exploitation Route | Outputs are published in the leading scientific journals and will feed into improved nuclear astrophysics and nuclear structure theories. |
| Sectors | Other |
| URL | http://www.nucleartheory.net/NPG/recent_publications.htm |
| Description | Advancing Nuclear Science via Theory and Experiment |
| Amount | £1,724,621 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/V001108/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2021 |
| End | 03/2025 |
| Description | TENSAR - Theory and Experiment for Nuclear Structure, Astrophysics & Reactions |
| Amount | £2,379,779 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/Y000358/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2024 |
| End | 09/2027 |