David Jenkins

Fellowship 2013

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David Jenkins is a Reader at the University of York in the UK. Following his DPhil in experimental nuclear physics, he held postdoc positions at Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Liverpool, before taking up a prestigious 5-year EPSRC Advanced Fellowship at the University of York in 2002. This led on to a permanent academic position at the University of York in 2007 and promotion to Reader in 2010. David's work crosses the boundaries between nuclear structure and nuclear astrophysics (the origin of the chemical elements). He has led experiments at many of the leading laboratories for nuclear physics worldwide such as CERN but also at laboratories as far afield as Japan and South Africa. Research interests include nucleosynthesis in exploding stars like nova and X-ray bursts, the structure of exotic proton-rich nuclei and shape coexistence in heavy nuclei. In particular, he is interested in alpha-clustering in light nuclei which will be the topic of the USIAS fellowship. Aside from research, David lectures on astrophysics and supports observational astronomy work. He is also very interested in public engagement as a means of explaining the science to a broader audience. Between 2007 and 2009, he held an STFC Science-in-Society Fellowship which bought out some of his time for public engagement work. In particular, he focussed on running continuous professional development courses on nuclear physics and applications for high school teachers. In addition, he is Chair of the Institute of Physics Nuclear Physics Group.

Electromagnetic transitions as a probe of clustering in nuclei

Post-doc: Daniele Montanari

Nuclear physics is presently undergoing a renaissance with the availability of intense radioactive beams at new facilities such as SPIRAL2 under construction in Caen, Normandy. Allied to this are key developments in detector technology which promises a step change in what is achievable. The atomic nucleus is a complex, many-body system built up from up to several hundred protons and neutrons. The structure of the nucleus and how it behaves in different circumstances may be understood as a complex interplay between the individual, single-particle structure and collective structure where the nucleons act coherently. A further way of describing the nucleus is the so-called alpha cluster model, where nuclear states in some light nuclei are considered as built up from building blocks of alpha particles rather than individual protons and neutrons. The alpha particle is not itself a fundamental particle and comprises two protons and two neutrons bound together; the binding is so strong, however, that the alpha particle may be treated as a fundamental particle.
Clustering in nuclei has traditionally been explored principally via nuclear reaction studies. This project will address some key issues associated with alpha clustering using a new approach based on searching for electromagnetic transitions connecting cluster states. The availability of the PARIS calorimeter, in which the nuclear physics group at IPHC in Strasbourg has played a leading role, promises to revolutionise our ability to study electromagnetic transitions. This calorimeter makes use of the novel scintillator material, lanthanum bromide, which has excellent energy resolution. Experiments are anticipated at IPN Orsay and at the iThemba laboratory in South Africa. This project will be carried out in close collaboration with the cluster group at the IPHC in Strasbourg. The project has the potential to open up new directions in nuclear physics and may have important applications to nuclear astrophysics – the origin of the chemical elements.

10-11 February 2014
Course of the Doctoral College of Physics and Chemical Physics:
Interface of Nuclear Structure and Astrophysics
Enabled by USIAS Fellowship of dr. David Jenkins