Nuclear Physics Research
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Research Areas
- Introduction
- Laser Spectroscopy
- Charissa
- Relativistic Heavy Ions
- Positron Imaging
- Nuclear Power Technology

Useful Information
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Links
- IOP09
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- Positron Imaging Centre
- Charissa Collaboration
- STAR Collaboration
- IoP Nuclear Physics Group
- School of Physics and Astronomy

	NUCLEAR PHYSICS GROUP SITE SEARCH
	SITE SEARCH

At the University of Birmingham we study flow using positron emitting radioactive tracers.  The techniques we use are variants of the medical technique of positron emission tomography (PET), adapted by us for engineering applications.

Our original positron camera, consisting of a pair of multiwire proportional chambers (MWPCs), has been operating since 1984.  In 1999 a second, much more powerful positron camera was purchased with funding from the Joint Research Equipment Initiative; this camera is a commercially available gamma camera PET system (ADAC Forte).

Fluid tracers have been used for applications including imaging the lubricant distribution in engines and gearboxes, and dynamic studies of fluid flow through geological samples. 

The technique of positron emission particle tracking (PEPT), developed at Birmingham, allows a single positron-emitting tracer particle to be accurately tracked at high speed and has proved to be a very powerful tool for studying the behaviour of granular materials and viscous fluids in systems such as mixers and fluidised beds.

For further information please contact David Parker

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