Research Interests
James Ollier
The atomic nucleus is a complex system that can exhibit strange phenomena. In my research I am trying to push to extremes of angular momentum in order to understand nuclear behaviour at ultra-high spin. In particular, I am heavily involved in the search for triaxial strongly deformed (TSD) rotational bands that occur in the rare-earth nuclei around A = 158. These weak structures are predicted to occur and compete for yrast (lowest energy) status at extremes of spin. These studies push the boundaries of gamma-ray spectroscopy and are carried out using the highly sensitive and efficient Gammasphere detector situated at Argonne National Laboratory, USA. Fusion-evaporation reactions are used with high beam energies to populate the highest of spins in the compound system.
I have also working with Neil Rowley performing global fits of data with the variable moment of inertia (VMI) model. With this simple model we have highlighted an area of extreme ground-state rigidity that lies in the neutron-rich rare-earth region of the nuclear chart. We intend to study this largely unexplored region using the new AGATA detector currently situated at INFN Legnaro, Italy, and search for the most rigid nucleus.
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