Collision physics in lighting, fusion and astrophysical plasmas. The project will apply advanced fundamental science techniques to applications that have a high impact on the environment. These include improving energy efficiency of fluorescent lamps and development of new mercury-free designs and research in support of the international multi-billion dollar fusion energy program.
Electron, positron, and heavy-particle collisions with molecules. This project aims to develop a computational approach to collisions involving molecular targets with electrons, positrons and heavy particles. Recently, the approach to atomic collisions, the Convergent Close Coupling (CCC) method, has been extended and verified for positron, electron, and heavy particle collisions with the simplest molecular systems (molecular hydrogen and its ion). This project now aims to extend the CCC method ....Electron, positron, and heavy-particle collisions with molecules. This project aims to develop a computational approach to collisions involving molecular targets with electrons, positrons and heavy particles. Recently, the approach to atomic collisions, the Convergent Close Coupling (CCC) method, has been extended and verified for positron, electron, and heavy particle collisions with the simplest molecular systems (molecular hydrogen and its ion). This project now aims to extend the CCC method to study collisions with more complex molecules. Expected benefits include more accurate data for diagnostic tools such as Positron Emission Tomography, and potential advances in particle-based cancer therapy.Read moreRead less
Quantum collision theory for astrophysics, fusion energy and hadron therapy. The project intends to investigate collision processes involving charged particles interacting with complex atoms and molecules. Although the theory of electron, positron and ion collisions with simple atoms and molecules has advanced in recent years, the corresponding computational modelling is difficult due to the mix of the countably and uncountably infinite spectrum of the target, the long-range Coulomb potential, a ....Quantum collision theory for astrophysics, fusion energy and hadron therapy. The project intends to investigate collision processes involving charged particles interacting with complex atoms and molecules. Although the theory of electron, positron and ion collisions with simple atoms and molecules has advanced in recent years, the corresponding computational modelling is difficult due to the mix of the countably and uncountably infinite spectrum of the target, the long-range Coulomb potential, and the multicentre nature of the target and the rearrangement processes. These difficulties could be overcome using a convergent close-coupling method. This project plans to apply the method to complex quantum collision systems in diverse applications of current interest such as fusion energy, lighting, astrophysics, and cancer imaging and therapy.Read moreRead less