The lifetimes of excited quantum states in the atomic nucleus give extremely important information about nuclear structure and the shape of the nucleus. This project will commission a new array of of LaBr₃ detectors to measure nuclear lifetimes, with the aim to replace conventional analog electronics with digital signal processing.

Detection of supernova‐produced (radio)nuclides in terrestrial archives gives insight into massive star nucleosynthesis; when and where are heavy elements formed. Direct observation of radioactive nuclides from stars and the interstellar medium would provide first experimental constraints on production rate.s We will use the most sensitive technique, accelerator mass spectrometry.

Exotic nuclei, in their long-lived ground and excited states, are produced in nuclear reactions, transported through an 8T superconducting solenoid magnet to separate them in time and space from the intense beam-induced background, before studying their decay with an array of electron and gamma-ray detectors.

This project will perform key experimental measurements for the SABRE dark matter particle detector and analyse the results.

Fusion probabilities at high energies are significantly smaller than theoretical predicted, in part due to disintegration of the projectile nucleus into lighter nuclei (breakup) on timescales faster than 10^-21 s. This project will help us understand these fast, complex breakup processes and their influence on fusion.

Nuclei are complex quantum systems and thus require advanced modelling to understand their structure properties. This project uses such models to interpret experimental data taken at the ANU and at overseas nuclear facilities.

A fundamental scientific question is a better understanding of the elemental abundances and the isotopic pattern of our solar system which is a fingerprint of stellar nucleosynthesis. We perform nucleosynthesis in the laboratory at the ANU via a new and powerful tool, accelerator mass spectrometry, to elucidate open questions in these processes.

High energy heavy ion beams can be use to effectively treat cancerous tumours, but nuclear reactions of the ¹²C beam spread the dose, potentially harming healthy tissue. This project will investigate nuclear reaction cross sections relevant to heavy ion therapy.

The measurement of the lifetimes of excited nuclear states is foundational for understanding nuclear excitations. This project will solve a current puzzle in nuclear lifetime measurements based on the Doppler-broadened line shape method and also develop a generalized analysis program for such measurements.

This experiment will measure key backgrounds at the SABRE site and investigate implications for the dark matter search.

A novel technique devised at ANU has recently given a breakthrough in the precision with which the magnetic moments of picosecond-lived excited states in sd-shell nuclei (i.e. isotopes of oxygen through to calcium) may be measured. A sequence of precise measurements will be performed to comprehensively test the shell model.

Superheavy elements can only be created in the laboratory by the fusion of two massive nuclei. Our measurements give the clearest information on the characteristics and timescales of quasifission, the major competitor to fusion in these reactions.

This project evaluates data at the interface of nuclear, atomic and solid-state physics with a view to discovering new physics and providing reliable data on the magnetic moments of short-lived nuclear quantum states. It assists the International Atomic Energy Agency to provide reliable nuclear data for research and applications.

The emission rate of low-energy Auger electrons and X-rays from radiosotopes through the Auger cascade are extremely important for basic science and applications, especially for medical isotopes. The project is aiming to understand the nature of the Auger cascade and develop a new computational model for the research of targeted radioisotopes therapy.

The project is aiming to develop a high resolution conversion electron spectrometer to study electric monopole transitions in atomic nuclei. 

This project will use the powerful 14UD particle accelerator to study the process of 'Coulomb explosion' of fast molecular ions in a foil or gas. The experimental results will be compared with a simple analytical model.

This experiment will bring online key experimental hardware for the SABRE dark matter experiment.

Motivated by exciting prospects for measurements of the magnetism of rare isotopes produced by the new radioactive beam accelerators internationally, this computational project seeks to understand the enormous magnetic fields produced at the nucleus of highly charged ions by their atomic electron configuration.

Investigate the internal structure of atomic nuclei by constructing the spectrum of excited states using time-correlated, gamma-ray coincidence spectroscopy.

The triple–alpha reaction leading to the formation of stable carbon in the Universe is one of the most important nuclear astrophysical processes.  This project is aiming to improve our knowledge of the triple-alpha reaction rate from the direct observation of the electron-positron pair decays of the Hoyle state in ¹²C.

This research project, with both experimental and theoretical angles, is developing a new perspective on the transition from a quantum superposition to effectively irreversible outcomes in quantum collisions.

This project will develop key aspects of the SABRE dark matter detector model, and investigate the detector's sensitivity to dark matter and backgrounds.

Heavy atomic nuclei may fission in lighter fragments, releasing a large amount of energy which is used in reactors. Advanced models of many-body quantum dynamics are developed and used to describe this process.

Investigate the properties of radioactive nuclei using spectroscopic techniques. 

This experiment will characterise dark matter detector material. Lowest levels of natural radioactivity in high purity samples will be analysed via ultra-senstive single atom counting using acclerator mass spectrometry.

This project uses novel techniques to investigate reactions of light weakly-bound nuclei, both stable and exotic, which challenge our understanding of nuclear reaction dynamics.

Exotic nuclei far from stability can be produced in relativistic fragmentation reactions and stored as fully-stripped, hydrogen- or helium-like ions in a synchrotron. Measurement of the synchrotron frequency can be used to determine their mass to a precision of 1 in 10⁸ and it is even possible to measure the energies of long-lived excited states through direct application of Einstein’s relation, E=mc².

This experimental project will characterize the hyperfine fields of ions emerging from target foils as highly charged ions. The data will test theoretical models we are developing, and underpin nuclear magnetism measurements on rare isotopes produced at international radioactive beam facilities such as GANIL (France), ISOLDE-CERN (Switzerland) and NSCL (USA).

Analytic solutions of real-world quantum mechanics problems are rare, and in practise we must use numerical methods to obtain solutions. This project will give you practical experience in solving the static and time-dependent Schrödinger equations using a computer.

A reading course on the connections between the representation theory of Lie groups and the properties of fundamental particles within quantum field theory, using Howard Georgi's "Lie Groups in Particle Physics: from Isospin to Unified Theories".

Nuclear data are urgently required in national security, non-proliferation, nuclear criticality safety, medical applications, fundamental science and for the design of advanced reactor concepts (fusion, e.g. ITER), or next generation nuclear power plants (Gen IV, accelerator driven systems, ...).