Physics of the nucleus

The School operates the premier facility in Australia for accelerator-based research in physics of the nucleus. These facilities are centred on the 14UD electrostatic heavy-ion accelerator and a new modular superconducting linear accelerator booster. The accelerators feed a variety of experiments and instrumentation, enabling the study of:

  • Fusion and Fission Dynamics with Heavy Ions
  • Nuclear Spectroscopy
  • Nuclear Moments and Hyperfine Fields
  • Perturbed Angular Correlations and Hyperfine Interactions applied to Materials
  • Heavy Ion Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA)
  • Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS)

Related departments

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Potential student research projects

You could be doing your own research into the physics of the nucleus. Below are some examples of student physics research projects available in our school.

Nuclear lifetimes - developing new apparatus and methods

The measurement of the lifetimes of excited nuclear states is foundational for understanding nuclear excitations. This project covers three measurement methods that together span the nuclear lifetime range from about 100 femtoseconds to many nanoseconds. The project can include equipment development, measurement, and the development of analysis methodology (programming and computation). 

Emeritus Professor Andrew Stuchbery, Dr AJ Mitchell, Professor Gregory Lane, Dr Brendan McCormick

Exploring atomic nuclei at the limits of their existence

Some atomic nuclei are so neutron-rich that they survive for only fractions of a second before decaying into something more stable. This project uses beta-decay and gamma-ray spectroscopy to study these rare systems, revealing how nuclei behave at the limits of existence and how elements are created in stellar explosions.

Dr AJ Mitchell, Professor Gregory Lane

Tracking radon-induced backgrounds in the CYGNO directional dark matter detector

This project investigates radon-induced backgrounds in the CYGNO directional dark matter detector. The student will develop an event-by-event simulation of radioactive decay chains and use alpha particle signatures to infer low-energy backgrounds, contributing to the understanding of detector performance using recent experimental data.

Dr Robert Renz Marcelo Gregorio, Dr Alasdair McLean, Dr Lindsey Bignell, Professor Gregory Lane

Are atomic nuclei losing their 'magic'? Experimental tests of the Nuclear Shell Model

The Nuclear Shell Model has shaped our understanding of atomic nuclei for more than 75 years, yet recent experiments challenge some of its key predictions. This project uses particle-transfer reactions and the Enge Magnetic Spectrometer to probe nuclear structure, giving students hands-on experience with experiments, instrumentation, and data analysis.

Dr AJ Mitchell, Professor Gregory Lane, Emeritus Professor Andrew Stuchbery

Please browse our full list of available physics research projects to find a student research project that interests you.