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.

Simulating cosmic-ray interactions with materials for dark matter and commercial applications

This project uses Geant4 simulations to investigate how naturally occurring cosmic rays interact with materials relevant to physics and environmental research, including NaI(Tl) crystals, gaseous detectors, and soil.

Dr Yiyi Zhong, Dr Lindsey Bignell

The intersection of nuclear structure and nuclear scattering

This project explores nuclear scattering using shell-model-derived potentials to better understand complex nuclear interactions. Students will enhance coding skills, deepen quantum mechanics knowledge, and apply high-performance computing to study processes relevant to nuclear astrophysics and nucleosynthesis, shedding light on the origins of the chemical elements. 

Professor Cedric Simenel

Effect of Alpha Radiation on Radioisotope Source Materials

Work with RadInnovate (ARC Training Centre) and industry partner AdvanCell on an MPhil to characterise materials for use in their Th-228 radiopharmaceutical source and generator. A fully funded stipend and top-up are available, along with an industry placement.

Professor Mahananda Dasgupta, Dr Tom Ratcliff, Ms Madison Williams-Hoffman, Mrs Ingrid McCarthy

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

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