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Nuclear Physics Group

Welcome to the Nuclear Physics research group

Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937)
Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937)
The University of Manchester has a long and well established history in nuclear-physics research, starting with the pioneering experiments of Ernest Rutherford in the early years of the 20th Century. It was at Manchester that Rutherford demonstrated the existence of the atomic nucleus using alpha-particle scattering experiments.

Presently, the nuclear physics research group at the University of Manchester consists of five academic staff with a variety of research interests, such as:

There are also a number of nuclear theorists in the Manchester Theoretical Physics Group.

Current research

The CLARA gamma-ray detector array coupled to the PRISMA magnetic spectrometer at the Legnaro National Laboratory in Italy. Most of our current research is carried out by performing experiments at major international facilities, such as at Argonne National Laboratory (USA), Jyvaskyla (Finland), GANIL (France), GSI (Germany), and the Culham Science Centre (UK).

A major project with which the Manchester group is involved is the construction and use of the CLARA detector array and PRISMA magnetic spectrometer at Legnaro National Laboratory in Italy, in order to study the structure of "exotic" nuclei. A photograph of PRISMA and CLARA is shown to the left.

The group is also the world leader in fission-fragment spectroscopy and is currently involved in the construction of the STEFF spectrometer which will be used to search for gamma decays from exotic fission fragments.

In addition, the group is involved with the Gammasphere, Exogam, and GREAT projects, and also leads programs of laser-spectroscopy research at Jyvaskyla and ISOLDE at CERN.


Contact us

Head of the Nuclear Physics Group: Professor Jonathan Billowes

Tel: 0161 275 4105
Fax: 0161 275 5509
Email:


Post-graduate admissions: Dr Gavin Smith
Email:


Mail: Nuclear Physics Group, Schuster Laboratory, Brunswick Street, University of Manchester, MANCHESTER, M13 9PL, UK.


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