About us

Introduction

At the “Instituut voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica”, embedded in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, one of the five departments of the Faculty of Science of K.U.Leuven, fundamental research of matter on the femto- and nanometer scale (nuclear physics / solid-state physics with nuclear methods) is performed. The institute provides education and training in the bachelor-master program in physics (specializations: nuclear physics and solid-state physics), in the master program on medical radiation physics and on materials engineering and in the post-graduate program in radioprotection.

The use of stable and radioactive ion beams and of different sources of radiation along with the methodology for constructing and carrying out innovative experiments at large-scale facilities forms the link between the two main research areas (nuclear physics / solid-state physics with nuclear methods) and represent the key experimental expertise of the institute.

This expertise is valorized within the university (e.g. radioprotection service, radiotherapy) and the country (through the Federal Agency of Nuclear Control, FANC).

Research profile of the institute

The research at IKS is focused on two different domains of physics.

Nuclear physics: towards a thorough understanding of the fundamental forces in the atomic nucleus through radioactive beamresearch

Nuclear-structure research at IKS is performed at international large-scale facilities as the IKS does not have its own facility. A leading position in nuclear-structure research together with a long tradition of developing and constructing specific instrumentation has made the access to these facilities possible. In line with the internationally adopted strategy, precision experiments involving radioactive decay, nuclear moment measurements and Coulomb excitation with radioactive ion beams are executed whereby the existing skills are consolidated and new technologies are developed. The emphasis lies on a theory-guided exploration of specific areas of the nuclear chart’s terra incognita. This is only possible through successful research projects at the main European accelerator centers (ISOLDE-CERN, Switzerland; GANIL, France and GSI, Germany) thereby optimally exploiting the instrumentation that the IKS has built within several international collaborations.

A close collaboration with theory groups allows a critical assessment and preparation of all possible research campaigns, focusing the efforts to those where the highest impact on the physics questions is expected. The research themes concentrate on the changing shell structure with varying proton and/or neutron numbers, the mutual influence of individual nucleon behavior and nuclear collectivity, and hidden aspects of the weak interaction in nuclear beta decay.

Solid-state physics: understanding the link between structural and functional materials properties at the nanoscopic scale.

Local doping and local deposition of energy, which is inherent to ion beams, is used to synthesize nanometer-sized precipitates and to tailor the lateral structure of specific complexes. Functional properties of these nanostructures are explored, with emphasis on electron transport and magnetic properties, e.g. the onset of magnetism in small entities and the interplay between resistivity and magnetic order. Hyperfine interaction and emission-channeling studies after implantation of short-living (ISOLDE) and long-living radioactive probes (the Ion and Molecular Beam Laboratory, IMBL, K.U.Leuven) are used to characterize the local environment of the probes. These low-dose experiments that probe the microscopic properties of the sample are complemented with Rutherford backscattering and more conventional solid-state techniques. This research domain requires the unique possibilities at the local facility (IMBL) complemented with characterization studies at different international large scale facilities, like ESRF–Grenoble (X-rays), ILL–Grenoble (neutrons) and ISOLDE, Geneva (radioactive ions), often pioneering new experimental methodologies.