Studies of exotic nuclear states with radioactive beams

This ESPRC-funded project brought £228,849 to the University of Brighton for the study of proton-rich nuclei in collaboration for experiments at the Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds (GANIL) facility.

Nuclei consist of a large number of neutrons and protons and in most cases the number of each is sufficiently large to preclude the possibility of exact calculations. Researchers must generally therefore resort to the use of models and one of the models which had met with a great deal of success in the interpretation of experimental level schemes for spherical nuclei with A<50 was the shell model.

In order to extend this, Brighton's researchers in nuclear physics, in collaboration with other institutions, had been involved in the experimental study of nuclei with 28<N~Z<50 with particular emphasis on nuclei where meaningful shell model calculations could be done. Some nuclei of particular interest were already being studied using stable beams and targets, however, others would require the use of radioactive beams and researchers turned to the then new Spiral facility (2002) at the Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds (GANIL) to use radioactive beams produced there to extend the range of nuclei studied to include proton-rich nuclei with A~60.

EPSRC Grant Reference: GR/M50812/01