Radiation, imaging and medical physics
Research The radiation physics and radiocarbon research laboratory specialises in the measurement of minute traces of artificial and natural radionuclides in the environment. The laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for high resolution alpha spectrometry, low-level beta spectrometry, and high resolution gamma and x-ray spectrometry. Advanced radiochemical separation techniques for nuclides such as plutonium, uranium, thorium, americium, technetium, radiostrontium and radiocaesium have been developed. We also apply radiometric dating techniques for reconstructing environmental histories.
- Current research programmes
- Marine Radioecology
- Terrestrial Radioecology
- Radioisotope Dating Studies
- Technique Development
- Ecosystem modelling
People There are two full-time academic staff, one post-doc, and six post-graduate researchers.
Laboratory facilities There are two laboratories: the radiocarbon laboratory and the radiochemistry laboratory. The laboratory facilities include 5 gamma spectrometers, 1 x-ray spectrometer, 2 liquid scintillation counters, 24 alpha spectrometers, a state-of-the-art radiochemical separation laboratory, a Benzene synthesis system for radiocarbon, field sampling equipment, and modelling software.
Some useful links:
- Radiocarbon: an international journal of cosmogenic isotope research
- The Irish Marine Institute
- The Institute of Oceanology (Poland)
- The Royal Society of Chemistry
- Cafe Thorium: Ken Bueseller's radiochemistry group
- Bord Na Mona, Ireland
- Government of Ireland (Marine Monitoring)
- Research Ship Schedules and Information
- Getting to UCD and an aerial guide to our laboratory.