South West Nuclear Hub
The South West Nuclear Hub acts as a gateway to research related to nuclear energy. Many of the facilities provide on-demand access to a powerful network of research and training amenities. Opportunities are scalable and range from small projects to multi-year programmes. The latter often involves sponsored PhDs and postdoctoral researchers.
The National Nuclear User Facility (NNUF) project involves Government investment into the UK’s nuclear future. The ultimate aim is to provide state-of-the-art nuclear experimental facilities. Here, research and development within atomic science and technology is carried out.
There are four NNUFs that are part of the South West Nuclear Hub which belong to the School of Physics. They are listed below.
Active Nano Mapping Facility
The Active Nano Mapping (ANM) Facility hosts the world’s fastest atomic force microscope (AFM): a high-speed AFM (HS-AFM). The microscope is housed in a dedicated active lab, which is capable of handling samples with a contact dose of up to 50 µSv/hr.
EXACT
NNUF-EXACT (Next Generation Accelerated Characterisation Technologies) is a state-of-the-art test-bed facility. It provides access to supporting facilities at the University of Bristol, University of Southampton and National Physical Laboratories.
Within the University of Bristol, NNUF-EXACT provides access to the Interface Analysis Centre. The Interface Analysis Centre hosts a range of advanced materials science analysis techniques. These include X-ray tomography, FIBS / SEM and SEM / EDX.
FaRMS
FaRMS (Facility for Radioactive Materials Surfaces) hosts a thin film growth system. It is capable of fabricating high quality active thin films, as well as surfaces for fundamental and applied studies.