University of Cape Town
Nuclear physics

Research work in nuclear physics is as shown below. Follow links to personal home pages for more details.

• Experimental nuclear physics: structure
  Professor David Aschman uses the AFRODITE gamma ray detector array at the iThemba LABS 200 MeV cyclotron for nuclear structure research. Students are generally co-supervised by physicists at iThemba LABS.
  • PhD:
    • Sifiso Ntshangase
    • Maciej Stankiewicz
  • MSc: -
  • BSc(Honours): -
• Experimental nuclear physics: reactions
  A/Professor Roger Fearick uses light ion beams and the K600 magnetic spectrometer at the iThemba LABS cylcotron to study nuclear reaction mechanisms.
• Geo-neutrinos: The EARTH project
  Dr Rudolph Nchodu and others are developing direction sensitive detectors in order to look for antineutrinos from sources in the interior of the earth.
• Theoretical nuclear physics
  Emeritus Professor Sandro Perez uses the cluster model to predict the structure of heavy nuclei, especially in the actinide region.
• Neutron physics
  A/Professors Andy Buffler and Saalih Allie, and Emeritus Professor Frank Brooks are variously involved in work involving neutron detection, in the field of applied nuclear physics.
• High energy physics
  UCT-CERN Research Centre members Professor Jean Cleymans, A/Professor Roger Fearick and Dr Zeblon Vilakazi (iThemba LABS) are involved in the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC, which will study the physics of high energy heavy ion collisions, and the possible formation of a quark-gluon plasma.

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