UK Research in Nuclear Physics

P J NolanUniversity of Liverpool

Nuclear Physics has been funded by EPSRC

funding was on a project by project basis

Nuclear Physics is now funded by STFC

funding decisions are yet to be made, but are likely to be more strategic

Nuclear Physics research is carried outin 10 UK institutions

there are ~60 academic staff

past support has resulted in:

~45 PDRAs

~100 Research students

~20 Expert support staff

~20 Technical support staff

Nuclear Physics experimental research is carried out at international facilities

All experimental work is in international collaborations with UK physicists leading individual physics programmes

There is a programme of theoretical research based at Manchester and Surrey, also with strong international collaborations

Nuclear Physics Research in the UK isin FOUR main areas:

Nuclear Structure

Nuclear Astrophysics

Hadron Physics The Phases of Strongly Interacting Matter

Nuclear Structure

Some key questions:What are the limits of nuclear existence?

What is the heaviest element we can make?

How does nuclear structure evolve at the highest angular momentum, just before the fission limit?

Are there new forms of nuclear matter in very loosely bound nuclear systems?

How does the ordering of quantum states, with all of its consequent implications for nuclear structure and reactions, alter in highly dilute or neutron-rich matter?

Do symmetries seen in near-stable nuclei also appear far from stability and do we observe new symmetries?

etc.

Nuclear Astrophysics

Some key questions:How are the elements and isotopes found in the Universe formed?

Where are the sites of the r-process(es) of nucleosynthesis?

What are the reaction rates of key exotic nuclei in the hot CNO cycles and rp processes?

What are the ultra low energy nuclear astrophysical reaction rates at the Gamow peak in stellar burning scenarios?

What is the nuclear equation of state for neutron stars?

How do density induced pyconuclear fusion reactions take place in the crusts of neutron stars?

etc.

Hadron Physics

Some key questions:Why are there no free quarks in nature?

What is the exact mechanism for the confinement of quarks in hadrons

What is the origin of the masses of the hadrons?

What is the origin of the spin of the nucleons?

What is the connection between parton degrees of freedom and the low energy structure of hadrons?

What is the excitation spectrum of the nucleon?

Do new forms of hadrons such as exotic hybrid mesons (qqg) or glueballs (ggg) exist, as predicted by lattice-QCD?

etc.

The Phases of Strongly Interacting Matter

Some key questions:Is there evidence of gluon saturation in nuclei in high energy nucleus-nucleus collisions?

Can we determine the bulk properties of the quark-gluon plasma and with what accuracy?

How does the collective behaviour of hot, quark-deconfined matter challenge our understanding of QCD derived from low energy hadronic physics?

Are there indications of the deconfinement phase transition at high baryon density?

Can we locate the critical point on the QCD phase diagram?

Are exotic states of matter such as strange-particle condensates formed in such collisions?

etc.

Nuclear Physics research requires a range of facilities as:

Different nuclear species have to be made in optimum conditions

Radioactive beam facilitiesStable beam facilities

The radiation emitted has to be detected in spectrometers designed for the purpose, examples include

AGATA, PANDA, etc.

Each experiment has to be optimised depending on its goals

Physics overview (Nuclear Structure)

Development of Radioactive Beam Accelerator Facilities in Europe

ISOL

SPIRAL2 at GANIL, France

HIE-ISOLDE, CERN

EURISOL, to be decided

In-Flight Fragmentation Facilities

FAIR at GSI, Germany

Next generation RIB facilities in Europe

SPIRAL2 ISOL beams

HIE-ISOLDEISOL beams

FAIRIF beams

Radioactive ion production

SPIRAL2 at GANIL, Caen

HIE-ISOLDE at CERNIncrease in REX energy from 3 to 10 MeV/u (first step in increase to 5.5 MeV/u)

Super-HRS for isobaric separationRILIS upgrade & LIST

RFQ cooler, REX-TRAP, REX-EBIS REX-ECR upgrades

Increase proton intensity 2 6 A (LINAC4, PSB upgrade) - target and front-end upgrade

FAIR – Planned Experimental FacilitiesFAIR – Planned Experimental Facilities

100 m

UNILACSIS 18

SIS 100/300

HESR

SuperFRS

NESR

CR

RESR

ESR

1 GeV p and other light ions

100kW direct production

5 MW spallation n target

0 150 MeV/u RIB

x 105 increase in yield for 90Kr products from existing European RIB (e.g. SPIRAL, REX-ISOLDE)

  

    R&D will benefit 2nd generation ISOL projects:HIE-ISOLDE, SPIRAL2

EURISOL layout

150 MeV/a(for 132Sn)

European Roadmap for RIB facilities

Jan 07 agreement – Complimentarity;Collaboration

EU EURISOL Design Study

ESFRI list

107 €

108 €

109 €

EU FAIR Design Study

SPL (CERN)decision

Two examples of large detectors/spectrometers being developed in big

collaborations

PANDA

One example of a typical experiment

Aim was to study structure of deformed nuclei at the proton drip line

Radioactive beam required to populate the nuclei of interest near 130Sm, beam was 76Kr with energy 4.3 MeV/A

Gamma-rays detected in EXOGAMResidual nuclei identified in VAMOSCharged particle detected in DIAMANT

About 1 in 104 gamma-rays are from the reaction

Fusion-Evaporation with Radioactive Beams

76Kr + 58Ni

130Nd (4p)131Pm (3p)129Pr (5p)

Summary

UK Nuclear Physicists lead Physics Programmes in large international collaborations

They contribute to large detectors, instruments and spectrometers at international laboratories, often playing a leading role

The community is working with the STFC to explore the possibility of more formal agreements with some of the large European Facilities