Accelerator Laboratory
The laboratory is an integral part of the Department of Physics, conducting world-class research on basic natural phenomena. The laboratory provides opportunities for the researchers, companies and the public to benefit from a wide range of expertise, research skills and environments, and international networks.
The Accelerator Laboratory has experts of experimental and theoretical high-energy and materials physics at the Department of Physics. The accelerator facility provides users for exploring the science of particle acceleration and radiation generation, and for developing new accelerator technologies.
The Accelerator Laboratory is a very versatile laboratory for studying the structure and composition of matter using the laboratory's particle accelerators. The matter we are made of is made up of atoms. Atoms are very small, about 0.0000000001 m in diameter. Inside an atom is a very small nucleus made up of protons and neutrons. The nucleus is only about 1/100000 the size of an atom, but it contains almost all the mass of the atom.
The lifetime and properties of the nucleus depend on the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus and how they are arranged. Most nuclei are unstable or radioactive. They decay into other nuclei, for example through alpha or beta decay. Nuclear physics research in the accelerator laboratory focuses on the fundamental properties of nuclei, such as their lifetimes, masses, shapes and decay properties.
The research will seek to answers questions such as:
- What types of nuclei can there be?
- Can even heavier elements be made?
- How did elements form and have evolved in the universe?
- How nuclear and accelerator-based physics can contribute to a healthier and safer society?
The laboratory also studies different materials using radiation, and the effects and interference of radiation on components such as electronics. The development of the infrastructure is driven by the needs and scientific goals of our user community and local research groups.
Read more about the research and get to know the research groups
The Accelerator Laboratory hosts a wide range of facilities and instrumentation:
- Nuclear physics facilities: can be exploited in fundamental studies of nuclear properties and related applications.
- Ion beam analysis facilities: offers high quality capabilities in materials analysis and fabrication.
- RADiation Effects Facility: is specialized in applied research related to nuclear and accelerator based technologies, to study of radiation effects in electronics and related materials.
- Accelerators and ion sources: The JYFL accelerator laboratory hosts three large-scale accelerators and our ion sources.
The Accelerator Laboratory of the Department of Physics (JYFL) of the University of Jyväskylä (JYU) is one of the EUROpean Laboratories for Accelerator Based Sciences (EURO-LABS). Thereby access is supported for eligible external research teams performing or planning experiments at JYFL. They can also apply for EC funding for their related travel and subsistence expenses. Proposals for experiments will be evaluated and selected on the basis of scientific merit through an independent peer review procedure. For research groups with accepted proposals, the research facilities including accelerators and experimental instrumentation are provided by JYFL free of charge.
