Nuclear Physics Consolidated Grant
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Liverpool
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
The majority of the visible mass of the universe is made up of atomic nuclei that lie at the centre of atoms. Nuclear physics seeks to answer fundamental questions such as: "How do the laws of physics work when driven to the extremes? What are the fundamental constituents and fabric of the universe and how do they interact? How did the universe begin and how is it evolving? What is the nature of nuclear and hadronic matter?" The aim of our research is to study the properties of atomic nuclei and nuclear matter in order to answer these questions. No one yet knows how heavy a nucleus can be; in other words, just how many neutrons and protons can be made to bind together. We will study the heaviest nuclei that can be made in the laboratory and determine their properties which will allow better predictions to be made for the "superheavies". For lighter nuclei we will explore in the region of the proton and neutron drip lines, which are the borders between bound and unbound nuclei. We will determine more precisely than ever before the location of these drip lines. Nuclei beyond the proton drip line have so much electrical charge that they are highly unstable and try to achieve greater stability through the process of proton emission. We will investigate how nuclear behaviour is affected when protons become unbound.
For these exotic systems we will also explore how the nucleus prefers to rearrange its shape, which can be a sphere, rugby ball, pear, etc. and how it stores its energy among the possible degrees of freedom. We will also investigate how the properties of these nuclei develop as we make them spin faster and faster. We will try to determine the precise nature of ultra high spin states in heavy nuclei, just before the nucleus breaks up due to fission. By violently removing a nucleon from a nucleus in a nuclear reaction at high energies and measuring its properties, we can investigate to what extent the nucleon "feels" the influence of its neighbouring nucleons, whether it is correlated with them. Such information tells us about the nuclear force inside the nucleus at different inter-nucleon distances. Nuclear matter can exist in different phases, analogous to the solid, liquid, gas and plasma phases in ordinary substances. By varying the temperature, density, pressure and isospin asymmetry (the relative number of neutrons and protons), nuclear matter can undergo a transition from one phase to another. Thermodynamic properties nuclear matter and its phase transitions can be described by its equation of state. In extreme conditions of density and temperature (about 100 thousands times more than the temperature at the heart of the sun!), a phase transition should occur and quarks and gluons (of which the protons and neutrons are made of) should exist in a new state of matter called the Quark-Gluon Plasma. By colliding nuclei together at high energies, we will study properties of this new state of matter and how nuclear matter behaves as the isospin asymmetry and density vary. Such information is not only important for nuclear physics but also to understand neutron stars and other compact astrophysical objects.
This programme of research will employ a large variety of experimental methods to probe many aspects of nuclear structure and the phases of strongly interacting matter, mostly using instrumentation that we have constructed at several world-leading accelerator laboratories. The work will require a series of related experiments at a range of facilities in order for us to gain an insight into the answers to the questions posed above. These experiments will help theorists to refine and test their calculations that have attempted to predict the properties of nuclei and nuclear matter, often with widely differing results. The resolution of this problem will help us to describe complex many-body nuclear systems and better understand conditions in our universe a few fractions of a second after the big bang.
For these exotic systems we will also explore how the nucleus prefers to rearrange its shape, which can be a sphere, rugby ball, pear, etc. and how it stores its energy among the possible degrees of freedom. We will also investigate how the properties of these nuclei develop as we make them spin faster and faster. We will try to determine the precise nature of ultra high spin states in heavy nuclei, just before the nucleus breaks up due to fission. By violently removing a nucleon from a nucleus in a nuclear reaction at high energies and measuring its properties, we can investigate to what extent the nucleon "feels" the influence of its neighbouring nucleons, whether it is correlated with them. Such information tells us about the nuclear force inside the nucleus at different inter-nucleon distances. Nuclear matter can exist in different phases, analogous to the solid, liquid, gas and plasma phases in ordinary substances. By varying the temperature, density, pressure and isospin asymmetry (the relative number of neutrons and protons), nuclear matter can undergo a transition from one phase to another. Thermodynamic properties nuclear matter and its phase transitions can be described by its equation of state. In extreme conditions of density and temperature (about 100 thousands times more than the temperature at the heart of the sun!), a phase transition should occur and quarks and gluons (of which the protons and neutrons are made of) should exist in a new state of matter called the Quark-Gluon Plasma. By colliding nuclei together at high energies, we will study properties of this new state of matter and how nuclear matter behaves as the isospin asymmetry and density vary. Such information is not only important for nuclear physics but also to understand neutron stars and other compact astrophysical objects.
This programme of research will employ a large variety of experimental methods to probe many aspects of nuclear structure and the phases of strongly interacting matter, mostly using instrumentation that we have constructed at several world-leading accelerator laboratories. The work will require a series of related experiments at a range of facilities in order for us to gain an insight into the answers to the questions posed above. These experiments will help theorists to refine and test their calculations that have attempted to predict the properties of nuclei and nuclear matter, often with widely differing results. The resolution of this problem will help us to describe complex many-body nuclear systems and better understand conditions in our universe a few fractions of a second after the big bang.
Planned Impact
Nuclear physics research and technology development has had a huge beneficial influence in our Society's everyday lives. Through energy production with low-carbon emission, radiation detection for national security or environmental monitoring, and cancer diagnosis and treatment in modern healthcare, the applications emerging from nuclear physics are numerous.
Recent high profile scientific discoveries include:
- The confirmation of the existence of the super heavy chemical element 115. In collaboration with Lund University, researchers from the University were able to present a way to directly identify new super heavy elements.
- The ISOLDE facility at CERN was used to successfully study the shape of the short-lived isotopes 220Rn and 224Ra, showing that the latter is pear-shaped. The results of the Liverpool-led measurements, that also have implications for atomic EDM measurements, received a large amount of interest from the media world-wide.
- The group used their expertise to build a detector system for the ALPHA antihydrogen experiment at CERN. The recent results from this experiment, where antimatter was trapped for more than 1000s, the first quantum transition was excited with microwaves, and measurements on antigravity reported, resulted in large scale media exposure.
- The work at ultra high spin in nuclei has been cited as one of the Science highlights of 2013 and in the major 2012 decadal report "Nuclear Physics: Exploring the Heart of Matter"
Liverpool has a number of established industrial links which benefit from its expertise in nuclear radiation measurements, modelling and instrumentation. These include GE Healthcare, BAE Systems, AWE, Canberra, Centronic, Kromek, Canberra Harwell, Ametek, John Caunt Scientific, National Nuclear Laboratory and Rapiscan. These links include the joint projects ProSPECTus, PorGamRays, PGRIS and GammakeV. The University has secured a prestigious four year STFC IPS Fellowship to maximise the impact of the STFC funded science portfolio. The role will deliver increased numbers of industrial studentships, enable "pump priming" of collaborative ideas and will facilitate potential staff exchanges with industrial collaborators.
The University Department of Physics is one of only three national training providers for the new Modernising Scientific Careers Clinical Science (Medical Physics) MSc, funded by the NHS. This MSc is delivered by the Nuclear Physics Group in collaboration with the Royal Liverpool University Hospital NHS Trust, the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and the Merseyside NHS Training Consortium for Medical Physics & Clinical Engineering. This provides a unique opportunity to build collaborative research and Continuing Professional Development partnerships within the Healthcare sector.
The University of Liverpool hosts many events for schools aimed at promoting Physics. For Nuclear Physics in particular a series of masterclasses is run for schools aimed at year 12 pupils that are run twice per year and cater for about 60 students. These benefit from the nuclear physics expertise in the group and its excellent laboratory facilities where nuclear measurements can be made. Members of the group provide teacher training and go to schools to deliver lectures and demonstrations on both nuclear physics research and its applications. With the recent opening of the Central Teaching Laboratory (CTL) facility at the University, these activities will continue and expand during the grant period. The CTL has a dedicated laboratory for Nuclear Physics and radiation measurements and schools and outreach activities will be held on a regular basis with University support. Overall in 2012/13 more than 2000 school students attended outreach events at the CTL, each event having a strong nuclear component.
Recent high profile scientific discoveries include:
- The confirmation of the existence of the super heavy chemical element 115. In collaboration with Lund University, researchers from the University were able to present a way to directly identify new super heavy elements.
- The ISOLDE facility at CERN was used to successfully study the shape of the short-lived isotopes 220Rn and 224Ra, showing that the latter is pear-shaped. The results of the Liverpool-led measurements, that also have implications for atomic EDM measurements, received a large amount of interest from the media world-wide.
- The group used their expertise to build a detector system for the ALPHA antihydrogen experiment at CERN. The recent results from this experiment, where antimatter was trapped for more than 1000s, the first quantum transition was excited with microwaves, and measurements on antigravity reported, resulted in large scale media exposure.
- The work at ultra high spin in nuclei has been cited as one of the Science highlights of 2013 and in the major 2012 decadal report "Nuclear Physics: Exploring the Heart of Matter"
Liverpool has a number of established industrial links which benefit from its expertise in nuclear radiation measurements, modelling and instrumentation. These include GE Healthcare, BAE Systems, AWE, Canberra, Centronic, Kromek, Canberra Harwell, Ametek, John Caunt Scientific, National Nuclear Laboratory and Rapiscan. These links include the joint projects ProSPECTus, PorGamRays, PGRIS and GammakeV. The University has secured a prestigious four year STFC IPS Fellowship to maximise the impact of the STFC funded science portfolio. The role will deliver increased numbers of industrial studentships, enable "pump priming" of collaborative ideas and will facilitate potential staff exchanges with industrial collaborators.
The University Department of Physics is one of only three national training providers for the new Modernising Scientific Careers Clinical Science (Medical Physics) MSc, funded by the NHS. This MSc is delivered by the Nuclear Physics Group in collaboration with the Royal Liverpool University Hospital NHS Trust, the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and the Merseyside NHS Training Consortium for Medical Physics & Clinical Engineering. This provides a unique opportunity to build collaborative research and Continuing Professional Development partnerships within the Healthcare sector.
The University of Liverpool hosts many events for schools aimed at promoting Physics. For Nuclear Physics in particular a series of masterclasses is run for schools aimed at year 12 pupils that are run twice per year and cater for about 60 students. These benefit from the nuclear physics expertise in the group and its excellent laboratory facilities where nuclear measurements can be made. Members of the group provide teacher training and go to schools to deliver lectures and demonstrations on both nuclear physics research and its applications. With the recent opening of the Central Teaching Laboratory (CTL) facility at the University, these activities will continue and expand during the grant period. The CTL has a dedicated laboratory for Nuclear Physics and radiation measurements and schools and outreach activities will be held on a regular basis with University support. Overall in 2012/13 more than 2000 school students attended outreach events at the CTL, each event having a strong nuclear component.
Organisations
- University of Liverpool (Lead Research Organisation)
- eV Products, Inc (Collaboration)
- University of Manchester (Collaboration)
- University of Surrey (Collaboration)
- Heidelberg University (Collaboration)
- Université Catholique de Louvain (Collaboration)
- Daresbury Laboratory (Collaboration)
- University of Jyväskylä (Collaboration)
- Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (Collaboration)
- European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) (Collaboration)
- Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz (Collaboration)
- McGill University (Collaboration)
- University of Cologne (Collaboration)
- Technical University of Darmstadt (Collaboration)
- Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (Collaboration)
- TRIUMF (Collaboration)
- Lund University (Collaboration)
- University of the West of Scotland (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH (Collaboration)
- University of Leuven (Collaboration)
Publications
Butler P
(2014)
Pear-shaped Nuclei: Nuclear Models and the Standard Model
in Acta Physica Polonica B
Paul E
(2015)
Recent Results at Ultrahigh Spin: Terminating States and Beyond in Mass 160 Rare-earth Nuclei
in Acta Physica Polonica B
Tain J
(2018)
The BRIKEN Project: Extensive Measurements of $\beta $-delayed Neutron Emitters for the Astrophysical r Process
in Acta Physica Polonica B
Butler P
(2016)
TSR: A Storage Ring for HIE-ISOLDE
in Acta Physica Polonica B
Carroll R
(2015)
Competing Decay Modes of a High-spin Isomer in the Proton-unbound Nucleus $^{158}$Ta
in Acta Physica Polonica B
Komorowska M
(2016)
Study of Octupole Collectivity in $^{146}$Nd and $^{148}$Sm Using the New Coulomb Excitation Set-up at ALTO
in Acta Physica Polonica B
Catford W
(2015)
Structure of $^{26}$Na via a Novel Technique Using ($d,p\gamma $) with a Radioactive $^{25}$Na Beam
in Acta Physica Polonica B
Recchia F
(2019)
Isomer Spectroscopy in Odd--Even Ti Isotopes: Approaching $N=40$
in Acta Physica Polonica B
Joss D
(2016)
Evolution of collective structures in the heavy transitional nuclei above the N = 82 closed shell
in EPJ Web of Conferences
Russotto P
(2015)
The ASY-EOS experiment at GSI: Constraining the symmetry energy at supra-saturation densities
in EPJ Web of Conferences
De Filippo E
(2017)
The symmetry energy at suprasaturation density and the ASY-EOS experiment at GSI
in EPJ Web of Conferences
Page R
(2016)
Proton emission - new results and future prospects
in EPJ Web of Conferences
Tolosa-Delgado A
(2017)
Commissioning of the BRIKEN beta-delayed neutron detector for the study of exotic neutron-rich nuclei
in EPJ Web of Conferences
Russotto P
(2016)
The ASY-EOS Experiment at GSI
in EPJ Web of Conferences
Herzberg R
(2016)
In-beam spectroscopy of the heaviest elements
in EPJ Web of Conferences
Scheck M
(2015)
Do nuclei go pear-shaped? Coulomb excitation of 220 Rn and 224 Ra at REX-ISOLDE (CERN)
in EPJ Web of Conferences
Yakushev A
(2021)
First Study on Nihonium (Nh, Element 113) Chemistry at TASCA.
in Frontiers in chemistry
Yakushev A
(2022)
On the adsorption and reactivity of element 114, flerovium.
in Frontiers in chemistry
Yakushev A
(2014)
Superheavy element flerovium (element 114) is a volatile metal.
in Inorganic chemistry
Adam J
(2015)
Measurement of jet quenching with semi-inclusive hadron-jet distributions in central Pb-Pb collisions at s N N = 2.76 $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Adam J
(2016)
Centrality dependence of ?(2S) suppression in p-Pb collisions at s N N = 5.02 $$ {\sqrt{s}}_{\mathrm{NN}}=5.02 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Adam J
(2015)
Centrality dependence of inclusive J/? production in p-Pb collisions at s N N = 5.02 $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Acharya S
(2020)
Measurement of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays as a function of multiplicity in p-Pb collisions at $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} $$ = 5.02 TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Adam J
(2015)
Forward-backward multiplicity correlations in pp collisions at s $$ \sqrt{s} $$ = 0.9, 2.76 and 7 TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Adam J
(2016)
Measurement of D-meson production versus multiplicity in p-Pb collisions at s N N = 5.02 $$ \sqrt{ {\mathrm{s}}_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Adam J
(2016)
Higher harmonic flow coefficients of identified hadrons in Pb-Pb collisions at s N N = 2.76 $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Adam J
(2015)
Inclusive, prompt and non-prompt J/? production at mid-rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at s N N = 2.76 $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Acharya S
(2017)
Searches for transverse momentum dependent flow vector fluctuations in Pb-Pb and p-Pb collisions at the LHC
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Adam J
(2017)
W and Z boson production in p-Pb collisions at s N N = 5.02 $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=5.02 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Adam J
(2015)
Centrality dependence of high-pT D meson suppression in Pb-Pb collisions at s N N = 2.76 $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{N}\;\mathrm{N}}}=2.76 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Abelev B
(2015)
Elliptic flow of identified hadrons in Pb-Pb collisions at s N N = 2.76 $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Acharya S
(2020)
Studies of J/? production at forward rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} $$ = 5.02 TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Acharya S
(2021)
Centrality dependence of J/? and ?(2S) production and nuclear modification in p-Pb collisions at $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}} $$ = 8.16 TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Adam J
(2015)
Measurement of charm and beauty production at central rapidity versus charged-particle multiplicity in proton-proton collisions at s = 7 $$ \sqrt{s}=7 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Acharya S
(2020)
Underlying event properties in pp collisions at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ = 13 TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Adam J
(2016)
Elliptic flow of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays at mid-rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at s N N = 2.76 $$ \sqrt{ {\mathrm{s}}_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Adam J
(2017)
Addendum to: Centrality dependence of high-pT D-meson suppression in Pb-Pb collisions at s N N = 2.76 $$ \sqrt{ {\mathrm{s}}_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Adam J
(2016)
Transverse momentum dependence of D-meson production in Pb-Pb collisions at s N N = 2.76 $$ \sqrt{ {\mathrm{s}}_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Adam J
(2016)
Differential studies of inclusive J/? and ?(2S) production at forward rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at s N N = 2.76 $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Adam J
(2016)
Measurement of D s + production and nuclear modification factor in Pb-Pb collisions at s N N = 2.76 $$ \sqrt{ {\mathrm{s}}_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Adam J
(2015)
Coherent ? 0 photoproduction in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at s N N = 2.76 $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76 $$ TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Adam J
(2015)
Rapidity and transverse-momentum dependence of the inclusive J/? nuclear modification factor in p-Pb collisions at s N N $$ \sqrt{s_{N\ N}} $$ = 5.02 TeV
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Caffrey A
(2021)
Gamma-ray imaging performance of the GRI+ Compton camera
in Journal of Instrumentation
Tarifeño-Saldivia A
(2017)
Conceptual design of a hybrid neutron-gamma detector for study of ß-delayed neutrons at the RIB facility of RIKEN
in Journal of Instrumentation
Acharya S
(2019)
Calibration of the photon spectrometer PHOS of the ALICE experiment
in Journal of Instrumentation
Neugart R
(2017)
Collinear laser spectroscopy at ISOLDE: new methods and highlights
in Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics
Stolze S
(2021)
Single-particle and collective excitations in the transitional nucleus 166 Os
in Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics
Venhart M
(2017)
New systematic features in the neutron-deficient Au isotopes
in Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics
Butler P
(2017)
Nuclear-structure studies of exotic nuclei with MINIBALL
in Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics
| Description | The majority of the visible mass of the universe is made up of atomic nuclei that lie at the centre of atoms. Nuclear physics seeks to answer fundamental questions such as: "How do the laws of physics work when driven to the extremes? What are the fundamental constituents and fabric of the universe and how do they interact? How did the universe begin and how is it evolving? What is the nature of nuclear and hadronic matter?" The aim of our research is to study the properties of atomic nuclei and to measure the properties of hot nuclear matter in order to answer these questions. No one yet knows how heavy a nucleus can be; in other words, just how many neutrons and protons can be made to bind together. We study the heaviest nuclei that can be made in the laboratory and determine their properties which will allow better predictions to be made for the "superheavies". For lighter nuclei wel explore in the region of the proton and neutron drip lines, which are the borders between bound and unbound nuclei. We will determine more precisely than ever before the location of these drip lines. Nuclei beyond the proton drip line have so much electrical charge that they are highly unstable and try to achieve greater stability through the process of proton emission. We investigate how nuclear behaviour is affected when protons become unbound. For these exotic systems we will also explore how the nucleus prefers to rearrange its shape, which can be a sphere, rugby ball, pear, etc. and how it stores its energy among the possible degrees of freedom. We will also investigate how the properties of these nuclei develop as we make them spin faster and faster. Wel try to determine the precise nature of ultra high spin states in heavy nuclei, just before the nucleus breaks up due to fission. By violently removing a nucleon from a nucleus in a nuclear reaction at high energies and measuring its properties, we can investigate to what extent the nucleon "feels" the influence of its neighbouring nucleons, whether it is correlated with them. Such information tells us about the nuclear force inside the nucleus at different inter-nucleon distances. Nuclear matter can exist in different phases, analogous to the solid, liquid, gas and plasma phases in ordinary substances. By varying the temperature, density or pressure, nuclear matter can undergo a transition from one phase to another. In extreme conditions of density and temperature (about 100 thousands times more than the temperature at the heart of the sun!), a phase transition should occur and quarks and gluons (of which the protons and neutrons are made of) should exist in a new state of matter called the Quark-Gluon Plasma. By colliding nuclei together at high energies at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, we will study properties of this new state of matter. Such information is not only important for nuclear physics but also to understand neutron stars and other compact astrophysical objects. This programme of research employs a large variety of experimental methods to probe many aspects of nuclear structure and the phases of strongly interacting matter, mostly using instrumentation that we have constructed at several world-leading accelerator laboratories. The work requires a series of related experiments at a range of facilities in order for us to gain an insight into the answers to the questions posed above. These experiments help theorists to refine and test their calculations that have attempted to predict the properties of nuclei and nuclear matter, often with widely differing results. The resolution of this problem will help us to describe complex many-body nuclear systems and better understand conditions in our universe a few fractions of a second after the big bang. Highlights include: ? The confirmation of the existence of the superheavy chemical element 117, which was an APS top 10 physics news story in 2014. In collaboration with Lund University and GSI, researchers from Liverpool were able to present a way to directly identify new superheavy elements. This led to element 117 being named tennessine (Ts) in 2016. ? The ISOLDE facility at CERN was used to successfully study the shape of the short-lived isotopes 220Rn and 224Ra. The data show that while 224Ra is pear-shaped, 220Rn does not assume the fixed shape of a pear but rather vibrates about this shape. The results of the Liverpool-led measurements, that also have implications for atomic EDM measurements, was selected as a top 10 breakthrough in physics by Physics World in 2013 and continues to receive a large amount of interest from the media world-wide. ? The group used their expertise to build a detector system for the ALPHA antihydrogen experiment at CERN. The recent results from this experiment, where antimatter was trapped for more than 1000s, the first quantum transition was excited with microwaves, and measurements on antigravity reported, resulted in large scale media exposure. ? The work at ultra-high spin in nuclei has been cited as one of the Science highlights of 2013 and in the major 2012 decadal report "Nuclear Physics: Exploring the Heart of Matter" and more recently as an article in the journal celebrating the Bohr, Mottelson and Rainwater Nobel prize. ? The measurement by the ALICE Collaboration at the LHC of the mass difference between deuteron and anti-deuteron and between 3He and anti-3He nuclei was published in Nature and received attention in the international news media. This was aided by the video summary of the paper produced in association with Nature. Article metrics show that this paper was in the top 1% for online attention, for papers of a similar age. Recent high-profile scientific discoveries include: - The confirmation of the existence of the superheavy chemical element 117, which was an APS top 10 physics news story in 2014. In collaboration with Lund and GSI, researchers from Liverpool demonstrated a way to identify new elements directly. This led to element 117 being named tennessine in 2016. - ISOLDE was used to study the shape of the short-lived isotopes 220Rn and 224Ra. The data show that while 224Ra is pear shaped, 220Rn vibrates about this shape. The results of the Liverpool-led measurements, that also have implications for atomic EDM measurements, was selected as a top 10 breakthrough in physics by Physics World in 2013 and continues to receive strong interest from the media world-wide. - The work at ultra-high spin in nuclei has been cited as one of the Science highlights of 2013 and in the major 2012 decadal report "Nuclear Physics: Exploring the Heart of Matter" and more recently as an article in the journal celebrating the Bohr, Mottelson and Rainwater Nobel prize. - The ALICE measurement of the mass difference between 2H/anti-2H and 3He/anti-3He nuclei was published in Nature with a video summary and received attention in the international news media. Article metrics show that this paper was in the top 1% for online attention. |
| Exploitation Route | This is part of an ongoing research plan for the nuclear physics community. It is fully aligned with the NuPECC Long Range Plan, see http://www.nupecc.org/index.php?display=lrp2016/main |
| Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Electronics,Energy,Environment,Healthcare,Security and Diplomacy |
| Description | Communications and Engagement Scientific discovery: Scientific highlights and news from the UK community are reported on a web site hosted by the Daresbury Group, a monthly Nuclear Physics Newsletter and there are plans going forward to 'push' these highlights on social (and more traditional) media. Recent high profile scientific discoveries, which have made a huge international impact include: ? The confirmation of the existence of the superheavy chemical element 117, which was an APS top 10 physics news story in 2014. In collaboration with Lund University and GSI, researchers from Liverpool were able to present a way to directly identify new superheavy elements. This led to element 117 being named tennessine (Ts) in 2016. ? The ISOLDE facility at CERN was used to successfully study the shape of the short-lived isotopes 220Rn and 224Ra. The data show that while 224Ra is pear-shaped, 220Rn does not assume the fixed shape of a pear but rather vibrates about this shape. The results of the Liverpool-led measurements, that also have implications for atomic EDM measurements, was selected as a top 10 breakthrough in physics by Physics World in 2013 and continues to receive a large amount of interest from the media world-wide. ? The group used their expertise to build a detector system for the ALPHA antihydrogen experiment at CERN. The recent results from this experiment, where antimatter was trapped for more than 1000s, the first quantum transition was excited with microwaves, and measurements on antigravity reported, resulted in large scale media exposure. ? The work at ultra-high spin in nuclei has been cited as one of the Science highlights of 2013 and in the major 2012 decadal report "Nuclear Physics: Exploring the Heart of Matter" and more recently as an article in the journal celebrating the Bohr, Mottelson and Rainwater Nobel prize. ? The measurement by the ALICE Collaboration at the LHC of the mass difference between deuteron and anti-deuteron and between 3He and anti-3He nuclei was published in Nature and received attention in the international news media. This was aided by the video summary of the paper produced in association with Nature. Article metrics show that this paper was in the top 1% for online attention, for papers of a similar age. There are a number of scientific beneficiaries outside of nuclear physics. For example, ALICE data on anti-nuclei production ( ) are useful for estimating background in dark matter searches and the development of germanium detector sensors has greatly benefited the neutrinoless double beta decay community (GERDA and Majorana collaborations). These science discoveries and associated technical advances have been recognised by the last three IOP Rutherford Medal and Prize awards to Butler (2012), Nolan (2014) and Simpson (2016). Links with Industry and wider applications Historically, nuclear physics has made important contributions to applied science for the benefit of society. The first accelerators were developed to study nuclear phenomena and more recently proton and carbon beam cancer therapy being driven largely by the international Nuclear Physics community. Many of the detection systems used for medical imaging also have their origins in nuclear physics research (SPECT, PET, MRI).The Nuclear Physics community continues to have a very productive collaboration with industry, the University of Liverpool and STFC Daresbury Laboratory have significant industrial engagement programmes which support knowledge exchange and the development of future REF returnable impact cases with a focus on nuclear measurement techniques and instrumentation. Industrial collaborators include AWE, Canberra, Centronic, Kromek, Ametek (Ortec), John Caunt Scientific, Metropolitan Police, MoD, National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL), Rapiscan, Sellafield Ltd. and a large number of NHS Trusts. Selected existing projects include ProSPECTus, PGRIS, GammakeV, GRi and BEGe/SAGe. The researchers also have an excellent knowledge of modelling techniques using Monte Carlo codes. These are becoming increasingly important to predict the behaviour of systems before large commitments are made. Example case study 1: University of Liverpool, STFC Daresbury Laboratory & Canberra The University of Liverpool, STFC Daresbury Laboratory and Canberra are working together to commercialise gamma-ray imaging systems with relevance to the Nuclear Decommissioning and Security sectors. Mobile and portable imaging systems are being field trialled as part of funded projects. Support has been secured both from potential end users and through the STFC Innovation Partnership Scheme programme. The same consortium is driving the technology transfer to enable next generation SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) through the ProSPECTus project. Example case study 2: University of Liverpool, STFC Daresbury Laboratory and Royal Liverpool University Hospital The Medical Training and Research Laboratory (MTRL) is a joint initiative between the University of Liverpool, the Royal Liverpool University and Broadgreen Hospitals and STFC Daresbury Laboratory, which delivers hands-on training in medical imaging and develops next generation imaging techniques. The MTRL houses a SPECT/CT scanner that allows students to receive a firstclass training experience away from the daily pressures of the hospital environment, where there is often a long wait for access to such in-demand scanning equipment. The facility also allows researchers to test new imaging algorithms and instrumentation systems that are designed to be more efficient and of higher quality for medical diagnosis. With such a facility, projects such as ProSPECTus that were inspired by techniques used in cutting-edge Nuclear Physics research instrumentation for AGATA, can be tested and proven against existing equipment by taking images of medical phantoms and comparing them against existing current technology. The University of Liverpool has secured a four year STFC IPS Fellowship to maximise the impact of the STFC funded science portfolio. The Fellow (Dr M. Palumbo) is working closely with academics within the Department of Physics, STFC Daresbury Laboratory and the Cockcroft Institute for Accelerator Science. The development of a coherent collaborative strategy is key to maximising the impact with both internal and external organisations. The technology readiness level (TRL) of each of these collaborative knowledge exchange projects has been evaluated as part of the development of a commercialisation strategy. The TRL level of these projects is summarised in figure 1. The route to market for projects indicated as TRL level 4 and above has been established.The IPS Fellow role is delivering increased numbers of industrial studentships, enabling "pump priming" of collaborative ideas through appropriate routes such as mini-IPS or mini-KTP projects while facilitating staff exchanges with industrial collaborators. The ongoing development of long term strategic relationships with industrial and other external partner organisations is crucial. This should facilitate Innovate UK, H2020 and National Institute for Health Research funded joint projects. The Daresbury group has regular interactions with the STFC BID. Healthcare: The University of Liverpool Department of Physics is one of only three national training providers for the Modernising Scientific Careers Clinical Science (Medical Physics) MSc, funded by the NHS. This MSc is delivered in collaboration with the Royal Liverpool University Hospital NHS Trust, the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and the Merseyside NHS Training Consortium for Medical Physics & Clinical Engineering. This provides a unique opportunity to build collaborative research and Continuing Professional Development partnerships within the Healthcare sector. Security: The impact strategy relies on the exploitation of the sensor technology and associated instrumentation and techniques that exists within the research groups. New opportunities for funding R&D have been identified and a key end user, the Metropolitan Police, is lined up to trial next generation technology. STFC has recently supported the creation of a Global Challenge network in "Nuclear Security Science" (NuSec). The network promotes research and technology in Nuclear Security, with an emphasis on radiological detection techniques and systems. Dr A Boston is a member of the network management board (http://www.nusec.uk). Energy: The University Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Physics Departments together with STFC Daresbury Laboratory are in the process of forming a Nuclear Engineering alliance, which will maximise the exploitation of institutional expertise in autonomous systems, sensors, virtual engineering and modelling. Public Engagement: Beyond satisfying human curiosity around the workings of nature, pure research in nuclear physics has also tremendous societal impact. Our groups have an excellent track record in public engagement and outreach in a subject that has a natural fascination for the public. Indeed, it fulfils the important role of educating the public in nuclear radiation and its wider aspects, both positive and negative and is important to drive interest in the study of STEM subjects.Nuclear Physicists are frequently invited to share their knowledge and talk about their research at schools, science festivals and community groups. STFC Daresbury Laboratory held an open week in July where up to 10,000 members of the public, industry and schools were in attendance (http://www.stfc.ac.uk/public-engagement/see-the-science/daresbury-open-week/); members of both the Daresbury and Liverpool groups took part. In addition to this over 1000 students, teachers and the public are engaged through outreach activities each year. Nuclear Physics is also a key part of the GCSE and A level science curriculum and teachers are always looking for ways to enrich the teaching of nuclear physics in the classroom and often approach our community. The community has responded to this need by running nuclear physics continuing professional development workshops for teachers and masterclasses for students. The teach the "teachers" workshops are supported by the Nuclear Institute and are held in several different locations in June and July. They are always oversubscribed and reach 100 science teachers every year. Dr Laura Harkness-Brennan has given public lectures at Daresbury laboratory and Prof Jim Al-Khalili a general interest seminar open to all staff at the laboratory. The Nuclear Physics masterclass has been extremely successful (reaching over 250 students in 2015 alone) in enthusing young people to pursue careers in Physics. The Masterclasses are one day events for GSCE or A-level students that focus on the delights of nuclear physics. The events include lectures, laboratory experiments, hand on workshops, careers activities, computer sessions and facility tours. Masterclasses have been run at the Universities of Liverpool, Manchester, Surrey and Birmingham as well as STFC Daresbury Laboratory and will continue throughout the period of the grant award. Events are supported and organised by the STFC outreach team. The University of Derby group has experience of running ALICE masterclasses and these be run at all three institutions throughout the period of the grant award. The University of Liverpool hosts the state-of-the-art Central Teaching Laboratory (CTL) facility. The CTL has a dedicated laboratory for Nuclear Physics and radiation measurements and schools and outreach activities will be held on a regular basis with University support. In November 2016 the Central Teaching Laboratory will host a Science Jamboree for 300 Cubs, Beavers and Brownies. We also plan a family day in this facility with the aim of improving knowledge of both nuclear physics research and applications in energy, security and healthcare. In Liverpool these activities are run by the Physical Science outreach group, which for physics is led by Dr Helen Vaughan. Delivery is by members of the nuclear physics group including students who have been trained for the work. These outreach events also include Women in Physics workshops, organised for girls in Year 12 studying AS and/or A2 Physics. Media Interaction The Liverpool Nuclear Physics group has an extensive list of media interactions. In particular Professor Peter Butler (http://ns.ph.liv.ac.uk/pab/profile/Outreach.htm) and Dr Laura Harkness- Brennan have contributed to BBC TV and Radio broadcasts and have recorded Podcasts and other online resources for public engagement. The ALICE experiment featured prominently in the recent BBC production presented by Jim Al-Khalili on The Beginning and End on the Universe (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07591mr/episodes/player). Professor Rodi Herzberg was a scientific advisor on Jim Al-Kalkili's series on the Atom. Going forward the Department of Physics is reviewing its media interaction strategy with a view to coordinate activity across the Nuclear Physics, Particle Physics and Accelerator Science. The Daresbury Nuclear Physics group media interactions are managed through STFC Communications. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2014 |
| Sector | Electronics,Energy,Environment,Healthcare,Security and Diplomacy |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Economic |
| Description | Digital Nuclear Measurement Training of Practitioners in the Nuclear Sector |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Delivered several training workshops for members of the nuclear sector to develop skills and knowledge relevant to Digital signal processing with radiation detectors. This included the participants logging in remotely to operate and acquire data with radiation detectors in Liverpool. There were also seminars aimed at developing knowledge and skills in this area as well as showcasing the research activities in several funded UKRI projects, relevant to the topic. |
| Description | NuPECC |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Impact | The NuPECC Long Range Plan for all aspects of Nuclear Physics was published in 2017. NuPECC's mission is "to provide advice and make recommendations on the development, organisation, and support of European nuclear research and of particular projects." The report features the recommendations of NuPECC for the development of nuclear physics research in Europe followed by a comprehensive chapter on large and smaller facilities, existing, under construction or planned. The report has been discussed with national funding agencies by the NuPECC task force to foster awareness and good alignment of the research portfolios. |
| URL | http://www.nupecc.org/pub/lrp17/lrp2017.pdf |
| Description | AGATA: Precision Spectroscopy of Exotic Nuclei |
| Amount | £140,479 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/T003456/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2019 |
| End | 03/2021 |
| Description | Development of topographical data analysis methods for AGATA |
| Amount | £100,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 2021480 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2017 |
| End | 09/2021 |
| Description | Measurement of moon anomalous magnetic moment of g-2 experiment |
| Amount | £545,073 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 2113472 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2018 |
| End | 03/2022 |
| Description | Nuclear Physics Consolidated Grant |
| Amount | £2,492,291 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/P004598/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2017 |
| End | 09/2021 |
| Description | Quantitative SPECT for dosimetry of 131I molecular radiotherapy |
| Amount | £1,033,798 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 1643463 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2015 |
| End | 03/2019 |
| Description | STFC Standard Grant |
| Amount | £419,256 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2009 |
| End | 05/2013 |
| Description | Sub-voxel position identification in Cadmium Zinc Telluride detectors for Low Dose Molecular Breast Imaging |
| Amount | £545,073 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 2112967 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2018 |
| End | 03/2022 |
| Description | The Tale of Two Tunnels |
| Amount | £77,545 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/S000127/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2018 |
| End | 04/2020 |
| Title | SAGE GEANT4 Simulation |
| Description | A full GEANT4 Monte Carlo Model of the SAGE spectrometer in the laboratory. It allows the modelling of the response of the instrument to incoming radiation and greatly improves the ability to make precise quantitative absolute measurements. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Several publications have used the toolkit and were possible or substantially improved through the use of it. |
| Description | AIDA |
| Organisation | Daresbury Laboratory |
| Department | Nuclear Physics Support Group |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Overall design specification, testing and systems integration. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contributions to this research and development project, particularly in the ASIC design. |
| Impact | Development of the Advanced Implantation Detector Array (AIDA) for experimental research programmes at GSI/FAIR. |
| Start Year | 2007 |
| Description | AIDA |
| Organisation | Rutherford Appleton Laboratory |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Overall design specification, testing and systems integration. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contributions to this research and development project, particularly in the ASIC design. |
| Impact | Development of the Advanced Implantation Detector Array (AIDA) for experimental research programmes at GSI/FAIR. |
| Start Year | 2007 |
| Description | AIDA |
| Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
| Department | School of Physics and Astronomy |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Overall design specification, testing and systems integration. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contributions to this research and development project, particularly in the ASIC design. |
| Impact | Development of the Advanced Implantation Detector Array (AIDA) for experimental research programmes at GSI/FAIR. |
| Start Year | 2007 |
| Description | ALICE Collaboration |
| Organisation | European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) |
| Department | ALICE Collaboration |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Data analysis of LHC data from Run1 and Run2 (heavy-flavour physics working group). ITS upgrade project: Monte Carlo simulations, construction of modules and staves for the Outer Barrel. Supervision of UG and PhD student projects. Meetings of ALICE-UK research groups (Univ. of Birmingham, Univ. of Liverpool, STFC Daresbury). Presentations at conferences, meetings and workshops. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Access to beam time, data, GRID and other CERN infrastructure and resources, ALICE collaboration international network etc. |
| Impact | Publications. Training of UG and PhD students and research staff. Invitations to speak at meetings, workshops, conferences. |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | COLLAPS, ISOLDE Laser Spectroscopy |
| Organisation | Catholic University of Louvain |
| Country | Belgium |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Proposal and running of experiments. Contribution to equipment and consumables costs. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of laboratory apparatus and expertise. |
| Impact | Active experiments directly related to the research proposal have been approved by the local Programme Advisory Committee. The experimental apparatus required and accelerator beam time have been made available. Several publications have been published or are in preparation. |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | COLLAPS, ISOLDE Laser Spectroscopy |
| Organisation | European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) |
| Department | CERN - ISOLDE |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Proposal and running of experiments. Contribution to equipment and consumables costs. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of laboratory apparatus and expertise. |
| Impact | Active experiments directly related to the research proposal have been approved by the local Programme Advisory Committee. The experimental apparatus required and accelerator beam time have been made available. Several publications have been published or are in preparation. |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | COLLAPS, ISOLDE Laser Spectroscopy |
| Organisation | Heidelberg University |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Proposal and running of experiments. Contribution to equipment and consumables costs. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of laboratory apparatus and expertise. |
| Impact | Active experiments directly related to the research proposal have been approved by the local Programme Advisory Committee. The experimental apparatus required and accelerator beam time have been made available. Several publications have been published or are in preparation. |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | COLLAPS, ISOLDE Laser Spectroscopy |
| Organisation | Technical University of Darmstadt |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Proposal and running of experiments. Contribution to equipment and consumables costs. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of laboratory apparatus and expertise. |
| Impact | Active experiments directly related to the research proposal have been approved by the local Programme Advisory Committee. The experimental apparatus required and accelerator beam time have been made available. Several publications have been published or are in preparation. |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | GREAT collaboration |
| Organisation | University of Jyvaskyla |
| Department | Department of Physics |
| Country | Finland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Constructed GREAT spectrometer and TDR DAQ system. Spokesperson of many experiments. |
| Collaborator Contribution | facility |
| Impact | 24 publications |
| Description | GSI Laser Spectroscopy |
| Organisation | Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres |
| Department | GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Assist in set-up and running of experiments. Co-spokesperson of proposal (ENSAR coordinator). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Equipment, facility and expertise. |
| Impact | At least two publications currently in press. First measurement of an optical resonance in nobelium. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | GSI Laser Spectroscopy |
| Organisation | Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres |
| Department | Helmholtz Institute Mainz |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Assist in set-up and running of experiments. Co-spokesperson of proposal (ENSAR coordinator). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Equipment, facility and expertise. |
| Impact | At least two publications currently in press. First measurement of an optical resonance in nobelium. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | GSI Laser Spectroscopy |
| Organisation | Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Assist in set-up and running of experiments. Co-spokesperson of proposal (ENSAR coordinator). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Equipment, facility and expertise. |
| Impact | At least two publications currently in press. First measurement of an optical resonance in nobelium. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | GSI Laser Spectroscopy |
| Organisation | Technical University of Darmstadt |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Assist in set-up and running of experiments. Co-spokesperson of proposal (ENSAR coordinator). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Equipment, facility and expertise. |
| Impact | At least two publications currently in press. First measurement of an optical resonance in nobelium. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | GSI Laser Spectroscopy |
| Organisation | University of Leuven |
| Country | Belgium |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Assist in set-up and running of experiments. Co-spokesperson of proposal (ENSAR coordinator). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Equipment, facility and expertise. |
| Impact | At least two publications currently in press. First measurement of an optical resonance in nobelium. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | JYFL Laser Spectroscopy |
| Organisation | University of Jyvaskyla |
| Country | Finland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Running of the laser spectroscopy set-up, contribution to equipment/consumable funding, spokesperson of several experiments. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of laboratory space, equipment and accelerator use. |
| Impact | Active experimental proposals have been awarded accelerator beam time by the local Programme Advisory Committee. The experimental apparatus required to carry out the research has now been commissioned. Many publications in progress. |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | JYFL Laser Spectroscopy |
| Organisation | University of Manchester |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Running of the laser spectroscopy set-up, contribution to equipment/consumable funding, spokesperson of several experiments. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of laboratory space, equipment and accelerator use. |
| Impact | Active experimental proposals have been awarded accelerator beam time by the local Programme Advisory Committee. The experimental apparatus required to carry out the research has now been commissioned. Many publications in progress. |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | LISA |
| Organisation | Daresbury Laboratory |
| Department | Nuclear Physics Support Group |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Intellectual contributions to experimental research programme. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contribution to experimental research programme. |
| Impact | Joint publications. |
| Description | LISA |
| Organisation | University of the West of Scotland |
| Department | School of Physics |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Intellectual contributions to experimental research programme. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contribution to experimental research programme. |
| Impact | Joint publications. |
| Description | MINIBALL collaboration |
| Organisation | European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) |
| Department | ISOLDE Radioactive Ion Beam Facility |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Expertise on Coulomb Excitation analysis, spokespersons of 2 active ISOLDE experiments |
| Impact | several publications |
| Description | MINIBALL collaboration |
| Organisation | Lund University |
| Department | Department of Physics |
| Country | Sweden |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise on Coulomb Excitation analysis, spokespersons of 2 active ISOLDE experiments |
| Impact | several publications |
| Description | MINIBALL collaboration |
| Organisation | University of Cologne |
| Department | Department of Physics |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise on Coulomb Excitation analysis, spokespersons of 2 active ISOLDE experiments |
| Impact | several publications |
| Description | MINIBALL collaboration |
| Organisation | University of Leuven |
| Department | Department of Physics and Astronomy |
| Country | Belgium |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise on Coulomb Excitation analysis, spokespersons of 2 active ISOLDE experiments |
| Impact | several publications |
| Description | Research collaborators |
| Organisation | Daresbury Laboratory |
| Department | Nuclear Physics Support Group |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Intellectual contributions to research programme and joint research papers. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contributions to research programme and joint research papers. |
| Impact | Many joint research papers. |
| Description | Research collaborators |
| Organisation | University of Jyvaskyla |
| Department | Department of Physics |
| Country | Finland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Intellectual contributions to research programme and joint research papers. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contributions to research programme and joint research papers. |
| Impact | Many joint research papers. |
| Description | Research collaborators |
| Organisation | University of Surrey |
| Department | Department of Physics |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Intellectual contributions to research programme and joint research papers. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual contributions to research programme and joint research papers. |
| Impact | Many joint research papers. |
| Description | TRIUMF Laser Spectroscopy |
| Organisation | McGill University |
| Country | Canada |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Proposal and running of experiments. Contribution to equipment and consumables. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of laboratory space, apparatus and experience. |
| Impact | Active experiments directly related to the research proposal have been approved by the local Programme Advisory Committee. The experimental apparatus required and accelerator beam time have been made available. |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | TRIUMF Laser Spectroscopy |
| Organisation | TRIUMF |
| Country | Canada |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Proposal and running of experiments. Contribution to equipment and consumables. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provision of laboratory space, apparatus and experience. |
| Impact | Active experiments directly related to the research proposal have been approved by the local Programme Advisory Committee. The experimental apparatus required and accelerator beam time have been made available. |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | eV Products (Kromek USA) |
| Organisation | eV Products, Inc |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | A PhD student from the project team went to eV products in USA for 3 weeks to conduct NEMA tests of a CZT SPECT system. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners financed the cost of the student visit, including hotel and travel. They also provide supervision and we are continuing to analyse the results following the visit. |
| Impact | The results are currently under analysis. It is expected they will be publishable. The student also developed new skills. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | ALICE guide visits |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Visits for public to ALICE detector at CERN , ongoing program done at CERN |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Advances in semiconductor sensors, Gamma-ray imaging systems, South Dakota, USA |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | International conference on germanium detector systems. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | BBC Radio 4 Interview - Strontium 90 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Radio Interview with BBC Radio 4 as part of a special program on strontium. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Consulting with BBC for "Inside Sellafield" Documentary |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Consulted for BBC documentary "Inside Sellafield", including script preparation, editing and advising on experiments. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Contribution to BBC Earth article |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Contributed to a BBC Earth online article "How do we know that things are really made of atoms". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/earth/story/20151120-how-do-we-know-that-things-are-really-made-of-atoms |
| Description | From AGATA to Gamma-ray imaging: Status and perspectives, Uof Notre Dame |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | University of Notre Dame conference |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | International Women Day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Panel Q&A ans discussion around the screening of the film 'Picture a scientist' by Sharon Shattuck & Ian Cheney (https://www.pictureascientist.com/) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Interview on BBC Radio 4 "Inside Science" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Jaime Norman (PhD student) was interviewed by Adam Rutherford (BBC Radio 4 "Inside Science") about the Heavy-Ion run at the LHC and the ALICE experiment. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Invited talk: Gamma-ray imaging spectroscopy, CARM conference, NPL, London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited talk at CARM conference (radiation metrology) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Lead Editor Special Issue NPNI for the Year of the Periodic Table |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Special Issue of Nuclear Physics News International to celebrate the UNESCO year of the Periodic Table |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://www.nupecc.org/?display=npn/issues |
| Description | Liverpool-CERN summer school for A level students |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Talk by Jaime Norman (PhD student) on the Standard Model. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Nuclear Physics Masterclasses |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | Workshop Facilitator |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | About 20 six-formers attend practical activities in the new Canberra Laboratory at the Univ. of Liverpool award-winning CTL facilities and presentations over a number of days, including discussions in the Q&A part of the presentations. I was the academic lead scientist for these masterclasses since 2012. Difficult to quantify. Hopefully help attract students to study Physics at University and develop awareness of Nuclear Physics impact on everyday life. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012,2013,2014 |
| Description | PANS |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | PANS (Public Awareness of Nuclear Science) is an expert committee of NuPECC and the EPS for the promotion of Nuclear Science across Europe |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
| URL | http://www.nupecc.org/pans/ |
| Description | School Visit (Holy Cross) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | School Workshop "Meet a scientist" With several activities surrounding it. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Security relations research and application, USDNDO/UKFO meeting, Surrey |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | US DNDO/UK HO policy meeting on security applications |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | University of Liverpool Physics Society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Jaime Norman (PhD student) gave a presentation to Physics undergraduates about his research on heavy-flavour measurements with the ALICE experiment. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Visit of ALICE experiment at CERN/LHC by a delegation of British MPs (Marielle Chartier, February 2018) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Official VIP visit by a delegation of a dozen British MPs to CERN, including the LHC and the ALICE experiment. Promoted the excellence of fundamental research performed at CERN and the positive impact it has on our society inlcuding techological advances, training opportunites of skilled staff, etc. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Women in Physics Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | Keynote/Invited Speaker |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Invited Talk at Women in Physics (WiP) workshops, organised by the Physics Outreach Group of the University of Liverpool for girls in year 12 of high school, taking AS and/or A2 courses in Physics. Difficult to quantify. Hopefully help attract students to study Physics at University and develop awareness of Nuclear Physics impact on everyday life. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012,2013,2014 |