Breaking new ground in nuclear physics

ERC Starting Grant for physicist Alexander Tichai

2024/09/05

Alexander Tichai is receiving a Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for his project “DeformedNuclei – Ab initio pathway to deformed nuclei”. In the project the theoretical physicist is developing new methods for investigating deformed atomic nuclei and analysing the effects of interaction models on the predicted nuclear shapes. The funding totals 1.5 million euros.

Dr. Alexander Tichai

Nuclear physics is a pillar for our current understanding of Nature. The description of atomic nuclei and nuclear matter connects microscopic systems with macroscopic objects in astrophysics. A precise understanding of the diversity of nuclear phenomena and their emergence from the interaction between neutrons and protons affects many areas of modern physics. Despite tremendous advances in recent years, we are still lacking a fully controlled understanding of the nuclei across the entire nuclear chart. Many experimentally relevant nuclei have exotic shapes, and nuclear physicists still rely on phenomenological approaches that are based on uncontrolled approximations and therefore only have limited predictive power.

Analysing nuclear properties

With his research project, Alexander Tichai from the Institute for Nuclear Physics at TU Darmstadt is aiming to change this. He is developing new, systematic methods for investigating deformed nuclei and analysing the effects of interaction models on the predicted nuclear properties.

The understanding of the origin of deformed nuclei and the uncertainties in their theoretical description are key goals of the research project. According to Tichai, the overarching question is: “What is the most efficient way to describe exotic, deformed nuclei?”.

About the person

Alexander Tichai obtained his doctorate at TU Darmstadt in 2017 under Professor Robert Roth and completed research visits at Michigan State University in the USA. Tichai also spent two years working as a postdoc at CEA Saclay in France, before moving to the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg and TU Darmstadt in 2019. There, he is currently an Athene Young Investigator Fellow in the research group of Professor Achim Schwenk.

ERC Starting Grants

ERC Starting Grants are awarded by the European Research Council to researchers from all disciplines up to seven years after their doctorate. With this award, the European Union aims to promote outstanding research and young scientists. The Starting Grant is aimed at researchers at the beginning of their career who have already produced excellent work and would like to establish their own independent research or working group.

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