Science, Engineering and Technology Group

Department of Physics and Astronomy

NUCLEAR AND RADIATION PHYSICS

Research profileThe Institute for Nuclear and Radiation Physics (IKS) haslongstanding expertise in the production of radioactive ionbeams and their use for reaction and decay studies, the studyof weak interactions, the determination of nuclear momentsand the investigation of local materials properties. The groupis actively involved in the development of a new generationof accelerators and detectors. Nuclear techniques arealso used in nano-scale materials physics via hyperfineinteractions of radioactive nuclei, via magnetic interactionsbetween neutrons and solids and via interactions of high-energy ions with solids.

KeywordsIon beam interaction with matter • Soft landing • Rutherford backscattering spectrometry • Channelling of energetic ions • Emission Channelling • Nuclear elasticand inelastic resonant scattering of synchrotron radiation •Conventional Mössbauer spectroscopy • Neutron scattering •X-ray scattering • Magnetometry • Nano-magnetism •Doping of semi conductors • Surface functionalisation •Spin-dependent transport • Laser spectroscopy • Nuclearspectroscopy • Nuclear reaction studies • Low temperaturenuclear orientation • Nuclear moments • Nuclear structure •Nuclear Astrophysics • Weak Interaction Physics • Betaspectrometery • Fundamental symmetries • Hyperfine interaction methods • Atom probe tomography

Research TopicsNuclear Moments• Study of the structure of exotic nuclei by measuring

their static moments and charge radii • Theoretical modelling of the interaction of nuclei with

electromagnetic fields • Theoretical and experimental studies related to

the production of spin-oriented radioactive beams• Modelling of the angular distribution of spin-oriented

radioactive ensembles

Nuclear Solid State Physics• Magnetic nanostructures• Multiferroic and multifunctional hybrid materials• Doping of semiconductors by ion implantation• Phonons and dynamics in confined systems• Growth mechanisms of (silicide and germanide) thin films• Surfaces and nanoparticles: self-organisation

and functionalisation• Nanostructure versus functionality

Nuclear Spectroscopy• Study of the structure of exotic nuclei through

reaction and decay methods• Light exotic nuclei• N=Z nuclei around 100Sn• Shell evolution and shape coexistence around Z=28

and N=50 • Resonant laser ionisation and spectroscopy in

hot cavities and gas cells• Shape coexistence in the neutron-deficient

isotopes around Z=82• Structure of the heavy and super heavy nuclei.

ContactDepartment of Physics and Astronomy

Nuclear and Radiation Physics

Celestijnenlaan 200D box 2418

3001 LEUVEN, Belgium

fys.kuleuven.be/iks/

KU Leuven. Inspiring the outstanding.

Weak Interactions• Measurements with polarized and trapped short-lived

isotopes to search for scalar and tensor type weakinteractions

• nEDM - Neutron electric dipole moment search, related to CP violation.

• Beta asymmetry measurements to search for physicsbeyond the Standard Model

• Precision beta spectroscopy and study of higher ordermatrix elements

Unique infrastructureIon and Molecular Beam LaboratoryUnique combination of nuclear and conventional ultra-high vacuum techniques for synthesis, manipulation andcharacterisation of materials. These are complemented byexperimental campaigns to large scale facilities for photons(synchrotrons), neutrons and radioactive ion beams(ISOLDE-CERN).

HIE-ISOLDE and MINIBALLThe IKS is involved in the High Intensity and EnergyISOLDE project at CERN-ISOLDE that conducts nuclearstructure and reaction studies using post-acceleratedradioactive ion beams and the MiniBall highly segmentedgermanium detector array.

ACTARThe IKS is involved in this project for the development of an ‘active’ target for nuclear reaction studies.

CRIS and COLLAPSPrecision laser spectroscopy setups for nuclear moment measurements.

MiniBETA spectrometerA multi-wire drift chamber based spectrometer forprecision beta-spectrum shape measurements

Atomic Probe TomographyTowards probing nanoscale structures with picometerresolution using three-dimensional metrology using atomprobe tomography

UCNThe IKS is involved in a project at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland to search for time reversalviolating interactions with ultracold neutrons (UCN).

HELIOSAt IKS a new laser laboratory including a mass separatoris being constructed to prepare for the Heavy ElementLaser Ionization Spectroscopy studies to be performed at SPIRAL2 (GANIL, France).

Collaboration and users• ISOLDE-CERN (Geneva, Switzerland)• Grand Accélérateur d’Ions Lourds – GANIL

(Caen, France)• Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung –

GSI Darmstadt (Germany)• Paul Scherrer Institut – PSI (Villigen, Switzerland)• Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie - SCK-CEN

(Mol, Belgium)• European Synchrotron Radiation Facility –

ESRF (Grenoble, France)• Helmholtz Zentrum – (Berlin, Germany)• iThemba LABS – Faure, South-Africa• Interuniversitair Micro-Elektronica Centrum –

IMEC (Leuven, Belgium)• Institut Laue-Langevin - ILL (Grenoble, France) ‘bullet’ • Advanced Photon Source - APS (Argonne, USA)