Department of Nuclear Physics

The Department of Nuclear Physics at Andhra University is the only one of its kind in India, meant for advanced level teaching and research in Nuclear Physics. The Laboratories for Nuclear Reasearch were instituted as a part of the Physics Department in October 1954 with Professor Swami Jananananda as its founder leader. The Department was organized into a full-fledged one in 1956.Prof.V.Lakshminarayana who took the reins of the department from Prof.Swami Janananda in1969 established various fields of research in Nuclear Spectroscopy, Nuclear reactions and interaction of Gamma Radiation. He is a renowned international expert in in-beam Nuclear Spectroscopy. He was awarded the Best Teacher Award by A.P. State Government and National Lectureship by UGC.Prof.K.Venkata Reddy extended the research in Nuclear Spectroscopy using Beta Ray Spectrometers. He was awarded the Best Teacher Award by A.P. State Government. Late Prof.K.Parthasaradhi expanded the horizons of research in the interaction of Photons with Matter and is renowned expert in Radiation Physics. Prof.B.v.Tirumala Rao extended the horizons of in Beam Nuclear Spectroscopy by carrying out pioneering research at the Nuclear Science Centre, New Delhi and at University of Bonn Germany. He is instrumental in establishing a live collaboration of this department with University of Bonn Germany. His collaborative experiments carried out in Germany resulted in the observation of magnetic rotational bands in nuclei of higher spins for the first time which resulted in explaining the behaviour of nuclei at higher angular momentum. Prof.B.Mallikarjuna Rao was instrumental in starting research in applied aspects such as Radiation Oncology. The UGC recognized the Department as a centre for carrying out advanced level research in Nuclear Spectroscopy under “Departmental Support Programme”, in 1978. The Department has on its staff highly qualified teachers. Most of them gained extensive experienced in advanced laboratories in Europe and U.S.A.

There are adequate facilities for carrying out advanced level research, the most important of which are: (1) Two magnetic spectrographs for electron spectroscopy; (2) Mosssbauer Spectrometer system (3) 14 MeV neutron generator (4) Si(Li), HP Ge detectors and Scintillation spectrometers. (5) EDXRF system, (6) Positron Annihilation life time spectrometer along with PC based MCA systems have been acquired recently.

Nuclear techniques are being used in diagnostic medical application(radio iodine to thyroid disorders) in collaboration with the doctors of the local hospital. They are also being used in the investigation of relative concentrations of certain ores (Mn,Cu, etc) in collaboration with the staff of the Geology Department and environmental pollution studies in air and water samples.

The Faculty are interested in training students and research scholars of high quality for taking up the teaching and research programmes in the country. Towards this end the Department has formulated a rigorous programme of training for students towards the two year M.Sc degree. The students are thoroughly trained in all basic physics subjects during first year and an intensive training is given in nuclear physics involving the general aspects in nuclear physics, nuclear Instrumentations and specialized topics in nuclear physics.