Projects
A new approach to lead isotope ratio data: the flow and recycling of materials and ideas KU Leuven
The main goal of this research project is to develop an innovative method to interpret lead isotope ratio data in archaeology, based on the three fundamental ratios measured in laboratory studies (208Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb, 206Pb/204Pb) and interpreting these with kernel density techniques (KDE). Though such KDE-based approach may be well developed in statistics, it has only been suggested and nearly never effectively used in archaeological ...
Coulomb excitation of Polonium isotopes. KU Leuven
The neutron-deficient polonium isotopes, with only 2 protons outside the Z = 82 shell closure, are situated in an interesting region of the nuclear chart. In the neighboring lead (Z = 82) and mercury (Z = 80) isotopes, experimental and theoretical efforts identified evidence of shape coexistence. Shape coexistence is the remarkable phenomenon in which two or more distinct types of deformation occur in states of the same angular momentum and ...
The European medical isotope programme: Production of high purity isotopes by mass separation KU Leuven
PRISMAP - The European medical isotope programme: Production of high purity isotopes by mass separation proposes to federate a consortium of the key European intense neutron sources, isotope mass separation facilities and high-power accelerators and cyclotrons, with leading biomedical research institutes and hospitals active in the translation of the emerging radionuclides into medical diagnosis and treatment. PRISMAP will create a ...
Laser spectroscopy of short-lived isotopes in the magic Tin region at ISOLDE-CERN. KU Leuven
Is a nucleus spherical or deformed? Do nucleons behave as individual entities or should they be considered as the building blocks of a collective state? How does the structure of an atomic nucleus change when extreme amounts of protons or neutrons are present? These are only a few examples of questions on which this project mainly focuses. In cooperation with other international research teams and using the results of experimental and ...
Exploring the shell structure of exotic Sn isotopes with an Active Target. KU Leuven
Experiments performed at Radioactive Ion Beam facilities are shedding new light on nuclear physics and nuclear structure, as well as nuclear astrophysics, materials science and medical science, opening unexpected scenarios in this fields of research. In this project we aim at a deeper understanding of the behavior of the Nuclear Force in the region of the unstable 132Sn nucleus, where the excess of neutrons can lead to significant changes in ...
Laser and decay spectroscopy of neutron-deficient radioactive nuclei in the lead region (Z=82). KU Leuven
The fundamental interactions that are important to explain the properties of an atom are the electromagnetic force, that keep the electrons circling around the atomic nucleus, the weak force, that is responsible for nuclear beta decay which represents an important form of radioactivity, and the strong force, that keeps the protons and neutrons (also called nucleons) together in the nucleus. The electromagnetic force is well known, but the ...
Collinear Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy of potassium isotopes: crossing N=32 KU Leuven
Understanding the properties of unstable nuclei has been a long-standing problem. In particular, the emergence and disappearance of so called magic numbers has attracted significant attention in recent years, both from the theoretical and experimental side. This thesis aims to contribute to the field of nuclear physics through the measurement of the ground state nuclear magnetic moments and the changes in the mean-square charge radii of ...
Hot or Cold? Did changes in volcanic activity influence global temperature evolution throughout geological climate-change events Vrije Universiteit Brussel
marine anoxia and organic-matter burial, particularly in the
Cretaceous, Devonian, and Silurian. CO2 emissions associated with
large igneous provinces are thought to have caused rapid climate
warming during the Cretaceous events (e.g., Early Aptian oceanic
anoxic event; OAE 1a: ~120 Ma). However, OAE 1a also featured
transient cold ...
Liquid chromatograph interfaced with an isotope ratio mass spectrometry detector (LC-IRMS) Ghent University
The Isotope Bioscience Laboratory (ISOFYS) of the promoter-spokesperson is a centre of excellence holding unique expertise and equipment for analyses and applications of stable isotopes of light elements (H,C,N,O,S) ISOFYS currently manages eight platforms for stable isotope analyses, which foster interdisciplinary collaboration with UGent and (inter)national research groups, as the importance of stable isotopes for (life) science has ...