Nuclear Structure Group

The Nuclear Structure Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory studies the behavior and properties of nuclei at the extremes of mass, charge, neutron excess, and angular momentum. By studying the single-particle and collective behavior of nuclei at these extremes we attempt to gain greater insight into the complex inter-nucleon interactions that give rise to the simple symmetries the nucleus often displays.

The research activities of the group involve work at experimental facilities using state-of-the-art detector systems both in the United States and worldwide. There is a strong local effort at the 88-Inch Cyclotron which uses gamma-ray and charged-particle detectors to perform experiments on a broad range of nuclear physics topics. Current areas of interest to the group include the search for new phenomena in neutron-rich nuclei, the investigation of nucleon pairing, and the study of nuclear behavior at high excitation energy. In addition we are working closely with the heavy-element group at LBNL to investigate the structure of the heaviest elements. Our group has a distinguished tradition of developing and using new gamma-ray detector systems, such as Gammasphere, and we are leading the construction of the first generation gamma-ray tracking array, GRETINA.

To learn more about specific topics please follow the links below:

The 88-Inch Cyclotron

The LIBERACE+STARS Collaboration

Research Activities

Gamma-ray Detector Systems

Contact Information for the Nuclear Structure Group