Applied Nuclear Physics

• Aims and scopes
• Collaborations
• Selected publications
• Contacts

Laboratory of gamma spectrometry and nuclear activation analysis

Equipment:

• Scintillation gamma spectrometer NaI(Tl) (3“ x 3“), type 802, Canberra
• Scintillation gamma spectrometer NaI(Tl) (3“ x 5” x 16“), Scionix
• DT neutron generator MP320, Thermo Fischer Scientific (108 neutron/s, energy 14 MeV)
• Scintillation gamma spectrometer spektrometr NaI(Tl) (3“ x 3“), type 802, Canberra
• Semiconductor low-background well gamma spectrometer HPGe GWD-3023, Baltic Scientific Instruments

DT neutronový generator

Scintillation gamma spectrometer

Semiconductor low-background well gamma spectrometer

Aims and scopes:

Gamma spectrometry

• Environmental radioaktivity (radon in water, mushrooms, cosmogenic 7Be)
• Detection efficiency modelling for various geometries

Neutron physics

• Neutron activation analysis
• Measurement of neutron flux (Texas convention method)

Monte Carlo simulations of radiation fields

• MCNP simulations of radiation field for dosimetry purposes
• Simulations of photon and neutron spectra

Nuclear models

• Spectra, electromagnetic transitions and direct nuclear reactions in Quasiparticle-Phonon Model and Intermediate-Coupling Model
• HFB calculations of grand-state deformations using Skyrme interaction

Collaborations:

• Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France (Dr. Koester)
• TU Darmstadt, Germany (Prof. Pietrala)
• JINR Dubna, Russia (Dr. Kovalík)
• Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain (Prof. Rodriguez Frutos)
• National Centre of Scientific Research DEMOKRITOS, Greece (Prof. Bonatsos)
• Institute of Technical and Experimental Physics, Czech Technical University Prague (doc. Štekl)
• Institute of particle and nuclear physics, Charles University, Prague (prof. Kvasil)
• Technical University of Grenoble, France (Dr. Thiamova, Dr. Simpson)
• Nuclear Physics Institute in Dubna, Russia (Dr. Kovalik)

Selected publications:

Experimental and theoretical nuclear physics:

• Kovalík, A., Inoyatov, A. Kh., Perevoshchikov, L. L., Ryšavý, M., Filosofov, D. V., Alexa, P., Kvasil, J., The first experimental evidence for the (M1+E2) mixed character of the 9.2 keV transition in Th-227. Physics Letters B 820, 136593 (2021).
• Koseoglou, P., Werner, V., Pietralla, N., Ilieva, S., Niksic, T., Vretenar, D., Alexa, P., Thuerauf, M., Bernards, C., Blanc, A., Bruce, A.M., Cakirli, R.B., Cooper, N., Fraile, L.M., de France, G., Jentschel, M., Jolie, J., Koster, U., Korten, W., Kroell, T., Lalkovski, S., Mach, H., Marginean, N., Mutti, P., Patel, Z., Paziy, V., Podolyak, Zs., Regan, P. H., Regis, J-M., Roberts, O.J., Saed-Samii, N., Simpson, G.S., Soldner, T., Ur, C.A., Urban, W., Wilmsen, D., Wilson, E., Low-Z boundary of the N=88-90 shape phase transition: 148Ce near the critical point. Physical Review C 101(1), 014303 (2020).
• Abolghasem, M., Cuxac, B., Thiamova, G., Alexa, P., Macroscopic and Skyrme-Hartree-Fock test of E(5) symmetry in xenon isotopes. Physica Scripta 95(3), 034010 (2020).
• Knafla, L., Alexa, P., Koester, U., Thiamova, G., Regis, J-M., Jolie, J., Blanc, A., Bruce, A.M., Esmaylzadeh, A., Fraile, L.M., de France, G., Haefner, G., Ilieva, S., Jentschel, M., Karayonchev, V., Korten, W., Kroell, T., Lalkovski, S., Leoni, S., Mach, H., Marginean, N., Mutti, P., Pascovici, G., Paziy, V., Podolyak, Zs., Regan, P.H., Roberts, O.J., Saed-Samii, N., Simpson, G.S., Smith, J.F., Soldner, T., Townsley, C., Ur, C.A., Urban, W., Vancraeyenest, A., Warr, N., Lifetime measurements in the odd-A nucleus 177Hf. Physical Review C 102(5), 054322 (2020).
• P. Alexa, M. Ramdhane, G. Thiamova, G.S. Simpson, H.R. Faust, J. Genevey, U. Koster, T. Materna, R. Orlandi, J.A. Pinston, A. Scherillo, Z. Hons, Quasiparticle phonon model description of low-energy states in Pr-152, Phys. Rev. C97, 034327 (2018).
• G. Thiamova, Y. Grachev, M. Abolghasem, P. Alexa, P.G. Reinhard, T.R. Rodriguez, G.S. Simpson, Macroscopic and microscopic description of low-energy collective states in Se-86,Se-88, Phys. Rev. C98, 064304 (2018).
• G. Thiamová, P. Alexa, Z. Hons, G.S. Simpson, Examination of different strengths of octupole correlations in neutron-rich Pr and Pm isotopes, Phys. Rev. C 86, 044334 (2012).
• A.I. Levon, G. Graw, R. Hertenberger, S. Pascu, P.G. Thirolf, H.-F. Wirth, P. Alexa, 0+ states and collective bands in 228Th studied by the (p,t) reaction, Phys. Rev. C 88, 014310 (2013).
• A.I. Levon, P. Alexa, S. Pascu, V.A. Onischuk, P.G. Thirolf, To the nature of 0+ states studied in 228Th by two-neutron transfer, Nuclear Physics and Atomic Energy 15, 7 (2014).
• Levon, A.I., Alexa, P., Graw, G., Hertenberger, R., Pascu, S., Thirolf, P.G., Wirth, H.F., Spectroscopy of U-232 in the (p, t) reaction: More information on 0(+) excitations. Physical Review C 92, 064319 (2015).
• Ramdhane, M., Simpson, G.S., Drouet, F., Malkiewicz, T., Vancraeyenest, A., Gey, G., Alexa, P., Thiamova, G., Kessedjian, G., Sage, C., Grahn, T., Greenlees, P.T., Hauschild, K., Herzan, A., Jakobsson, U., Jones, P., Julin, R., Juutinen, S., Ketelhut, S., Lopez-Martens, A., Nieminen, P., Peura, P., Rahkila, P., Rinta-Antila, S., Ruotsalainen, P., Sandzelius, M., Saren, J., Scholey, C., Sorri, J., Uusitalo, J., Study of intermediate-spin states of 98Y. Acta Physica Polonica B, 47 (3), 911 (2016).

Applied nuclear physics:

• Harkut, O., Alexa, P., Uhlář, R., Radiocaesium Contamination of Mushrooms at High- and Low-Level Chernobyl Exposure Sites and Its Consequences for Public Health, Life 11, 1370 (2021).
• R. Uhlář, P. Alexa, J. Pištora, A system of materials composition and geometry arrangement for fast neutron beam thermalization: an MCNP study, Nucl. Instrum. Meth. B 298, 81 (2013).
• R. Uhlář, M. Kadulová, P. Alexa, J. Pištora, A new reflector structure for facility thermalizing D-T neutrons, J. Radioanal. Nucl. Ch. 300, 809 (2014).
• A. Synytsya, A. Synytsya, P. Alexa, R. Wagner, M. Davídková, K. Volka, Raman spectroscopic study on sodium hyaluronate: an effect of proton and gamma irradiation, J. Raman Spectrosc. 42, 544 (2011).
• R. Uhlář, P. Količová, P. Alexa, Short-term variations in 7Be wet deposition in the eastern part of the Czech Republic, J. Radioanal. Nucl. Ch. 304, 89 (2015).
• Uhlář, R., Alexa, P., MCNP approaches for dose rates modeling in laboratory for neutron activation analysis and gamma spectrometry at Ostrava. Radiation Protection Dosimetry 185(1), 1-8 (2019).
• Jirásek, J., Matýsek, D., Alexa P., Osovský, M., Uhlář, R., Sivek, M., High Specific Activity of Radium Isotopes in Baryte from the Czech Part of the Upper Silesian Basin - An Example of Spontaneous Mine Water Treatment. Minerals 10(2), 103 (2020).
• Uhlář, R., Alexa, P., Harkut, O., Haroková, P., Modified Texas Convention Method for Fast Neutron Flux Measurements. IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science 67(1), 382-388 (2020).
• Uhlář, R., Haroková, P., Alexa, P., Kačmařík, M., 7Be atmospheric activity concentration and meteorological data: Statistical analysis and two-layer atmospheric model. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 219, 106278 (2020).

Contacts:

Group leader:

• Assoc. Prof. Dr. RNDr. Petr Alexa
  Department of Physics
  Technical University of Ostrava
  17. listopadu 2172/15
  708 00 Ostrava-Poruba
  Czech Republic
  
  e-mail: petr.alexa(zavinac)vsb.cz
  tel.: 59 732 3100

Group members:

• Mgr. Radim Uhlář, Ph.D. , e-mail:radim.uhlar(zavinac)vsb.cz

Ph.D. students:

• Ing. Ondřej Harkut
• Sara Mahiddine, MSc.

Undergraduate students:

• Bc. Patrik Berka