Physicists are smashing atomic nuclei together at nearly the speed of light to recreate the conditions that existed just after the Big Bang. This research tackles a fundamental gap in knowledge: how atomic nuclei—the dense cores at the centre of every atom—behave under extreme conditions of temperature, pressure, and spin. By studying these extremes, the team aims to understand why matter holds together at all, what limits the number of protons and neutrons that can bind into a nucleus, and how the chemical elements found on Earth and across the universe were originally formed. This is curiosity-driven fundamental science with no immediate practical application. However, similar fundamental research into nuclear structure has historically underpinned advances in medical imaging (such as PET scanners), nuclear energy, and materials analysis. A deeper understanding of how nuclei behave could, over decades, inform new approaches to clean energy generation or the development of novel materials. The project also sustains the UK’s technical expertise in building and operating large particle detectors at international facilities like CERN, keeping the country connected to global scientific infrastructure.
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The majority of the visible mass of the universe is made up of atomic nuclei that lie at the centre of atoms. Nuclear physics seeks to answer fundamental questions such as: "How do the laws of physics work when driven to the extremes? What are the fundamental constituents and fabric of the universe and how do they interact? How did the universe begin and how is it evolving? What is the nature of nuclear and hadronic matter?" The aim of our research is to study and measure the properties of atomic nuclei and hot nuclear matter as a route to answering these fundamental questions. Our research is built around our expertise in instrumentation and exploits the large investments previously made into detectors, data acquisition and experimental methods. Such instruments include the ALICE inner tracker detector aimed at the study of the most exotic state of matter known, the quark-gluon plasma; the advanced gamma-ray tracking array AGATA exploring nuclei at the extremes of spin and isospin; and the solenoidal spectrometer ISS studying the role of individual nucleons in complex exotic nuclei. We will study the evolution of nuclear shapes and structure following changes in proton and neutron numbers and their influence on the formation of atoms, right up to the heaviest man-made elements. We will study exotic nuclei that determine the composition of elements found on earth and in the universe, and what ultimately determines the limits of proton and neutron number that can be bound into an atomic nucleus. We will also study the collisions of heavy ions at nearly the speed of light where conditions close to the big bang can be replicated. Throughout this ambitious experimental programme we will continue to share our technical expertise to support all groups in the UK via our core of specialist cross-community engineers in the pursuit of their own research priorities, and play active roles in large international experimental facilities, such as CERN in Switzerland & France or FAIR in Germany.
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