UNITED KINGDOM - BELFAST

SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS
QUEEN'S UNIVERSlTY BELFAST

University Road, Belfast BT7 INN, Northern Ireland
Telephone: +44 28 9027 3189
Telefax: +44 28 9023 9182
E-mail: r.reid@qub.ac.uk
URL:   http://www.qub.ac.uk/mp/tcpr/

Head of School:	Bell, Kenneth L.
Assistant Head of School:	Reid, Robert H.G.

Theoretical and Computational Physics Research Division

Crothers, Derrick S.F. (Head)
Bell, Kenneth L.
Burke, Philip G.
Dundas, Daniel
Gribakin, Gleb
Hibbert, Alan
Kim, Myungshik
Kingston, Arthur E.

McCann, James F.
Norrington, Patrick H.
O'Rourke, S. Francesca C.
Ramsbottom, Catherine A.
Rasch, Jens
Reid, Robert H.G.
Rudge, Michael R.H.
Scott, M. Penelope

Sokolovski, Dmitri
Swain, Stuart
Taylor, Kenneth T.A.
van der Hart, Hugo W.
Walters, H.R. James

Research activities:
Theoretical Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, Processes and Applications
The programme of research embraces a wide range of theoretical studies of the properties of atomic and molecular systems and the way in which they interact. A significant part of the research is complemented by experimental work in the physics department of the university. The work involves the application of quantum mechanics leading to the development of analytic approximations, and the use of appropriate numerical procedures requiring the development of extensive computer programs. Research areas pursued include the following:

1. atomic and molecular structure and properties;
2. electron, photon and positron collisions with atoms, ions and molecules;
3. heavy particle collisions including charge exchange, ionisation, excitation and recombination;
4. atomic data for fusion, laser physics, upper-atmosphere physics and astrophysics;
5. quantum optics; laser physics and quantum chaos;
6. multiphoton processes in intense laser microwave fields and other atoms in other strong fields;
7. ferromagnetism;
8. Bose-Einstein condensation.

Computational Physics
Research in this area involves the application of high-performance computers to a wide variety of problems in physics and physical chemistry. Studies include the application of a CRAY-T3E and an IBM SP system in atomic, molecular and optical physics, the development of new parallel algorithms and the development of new methods for the storage, retrieval and visualization of data. An international physics and physical chemistry program library is supported locally and programs are distributed world wide.