Institute of Radiation Physics

Director:

Prof. Dr. Thomas Cowan

Phone: +49 351 260 2270

Fax: +49 351 260 3700

Secretary:

Anne Liebezeit

Phone: +49 351 260 3293

contact.radiationphysics@fzd.de

Contact:

Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
Institut fuer Strahlenphysik
PF 51 01 19
01314 Dresden

Physics of Hadrons
Physics of Nuclei

Scientific Profile:

The institute of radiation physics is engaged in the basic research in accelerator-, nucleons, hadron and laser physics as well as the development of new types of radiation and particle beams, and new detections and measurement techniques for application to cancer research, nuclear safety and advanced materials.

For its research the Institute makes use of the coupling of electromagnetic radiation to animate and inanimate matter. In this work the Rossendorf Radiation Source ELBE plays a central role. Photons used in the various fields of activity cover a wide wavelength range from infrared light (many micrometer) down to subnuclear dimensions (less than femtometer). Electromagnetic radiation is used for the extraction of structural information on complex biological systems and their dynamics, and by exciting atomic nuclei and their hadronic constituents the subatomic structure of matter is investigated and new insight is gained into the cosmic "element cooking". In health research radiation is also used to study cell damage and to develop new radio-oncologic therapies.

With respect to the investigations in such diverse fields, considerable synergy effects occur: e. g. the numerical simulation of the interaction of radiation with subatomic matter resembles very much the one with bio-molecules and cells, and the transport of radiation within these rather different media has surprising similarities.

Cooperations: