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Research facility · Reading · United Kingdom

Atomic Weapons Establishment

In research, Atomic Weapons Establishment stands highest in Physical Sciences (#9,910 of 10,670 worldwide), 2022-now. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Physics and Astronomy (Physics and Astronomy is 9.0× its share of world research).

awe.co.ukROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022-now
#20,894
of 22,385 · #9,304 all time
Rank in United Kingdom
#782
of 862
Research works
2.4k
▼ 20% vs 2018-21
Citations
43k
17.7 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
5.8%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
0.90×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
20%
world 40%
International
15%
world 18%
Atomic Weapons Establishment

What is Atomic Weapons Establishment known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, 2022-now, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Physical SciencesDomain #9,910 of 10,670 4.7%131 #4163

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where Atomic Weapons Establishment sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no average mark, because the average differs by field (from about 6% in Dentistry to 21% in Economics).

Which fields of science does Atomic Weapons Establishment work in?

In 2022-now, 92% of research at Atomic Weapons Establishment is in Physical Sciences, 4% in Health Sciences. Its largest fields are Engineering (30%), Physics and Astronomy (20%), Materials Science (16%). It does 2.3× the world's share of Physical Sciences.

Physical Sciences: 138 fractional works · 91.5% of its workEngineering: 45 fractional works · 30.0% of its workMechanics of Materials: 9 fractional works · 5.9% of its workAerospace Engineering: 8 fractional works · 5.6% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 6 fractional works · 4.1% of its workCivil and Structural Engineering: 5 fractional works · 3.6% of its workComputational Mechanics: 5 fractional works · 3.4% of its workMechanical Engineering: 4 fractional works · 2.6% of its workOcean Engineering: 3 fractional works · 1.9% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 2 fractional works · 1.5% of its workControl and Systems Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workSafety, Risk, Reliability and Quality: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workMedia Technology: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 30 fractional works · 20.0% of its workRadiation: 13 fractional works · 8.5% of its workAtomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics: 6 fractional works · 4.3% of its workNuclear and High Energy Physics: 6 fractional works · 4.2% of its workCondensed Matter Physics: 2 fractional works · 1.4% of its workAstronomy and Astrophysics: 2 fractional works · 1.1% of its workInstrumentation: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workMaterials Science: 23 fractional works · 15.5% of its workMaterials Chemistry: 21 fractional works · 13.8% of its workSurfaces, Coatings and Films: 1 fractional works · 1.0% of its workElectronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 14 fractional works · 9.6% of its workGeophysics: 10 fractional works · 6.8% of its workAtmospheric Science: 3 fractional works · 1.9% of its workOceanography: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workChemistry: 9 fractional works · 5.9% of its workInorganic Chemistry: 6 fractional works · 4.2% of its workSpectroscopy: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workOrganic Chemistry: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workAnalytical Chemistry: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEnvironmental Science: 9 fractional works · 5.8% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 7 fractional works · 4.3% of its workEnvironmental Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEcology: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workComputer Science: 4 fractional works · 2.9% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 3 fractional works · 1.8% of its workComputational Theory and Mathematics: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workComputer Networks and Communications: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workChemical Engineering: 2 fractional works · 1.1% of its workFluid Flow and Transfer Processes: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workCatalysis: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workMathematics: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workApplied Mathematics: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workEnergy: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workHealth Sciences: 6 fractional works · 4.2% of its workHealth Professions: 4 fractional works · 2.7% of its workRadiological and Ultrasound Technology: 4 fractional works · 2.6% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workMedicine: 2 fractional works · 1.5% of its workRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSocial Sciences: 4 fractional works · 3.0% of its workDecision Sciences: 2 fractional works · 1.5% of its workStatistics, Probability and Uncertainty: 2 fractional works · 1.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSocial Sciences: 2 fractional works · 1.1% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 1 fractional works · 0.9% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workPsychology: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workArts and Humanities: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workLife Sciences: 2 fractional works · 1.3% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 1 fractional works · 0.9% of its workClinical Biochemistry: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPlant Science: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workNeuroscience: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workALL ITS WORKAtomic WeaponsEstablishment151fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences1%Physical Sciences92%Health Sciences4%Social Sciences3%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in 2022-now. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this institution does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 21 fields, with their numbers
    1. Engineering4530.0%
    2. Physics and Astronomy3020.0%
    3. Materials Science2315.5%
    4. Earth and Planetary Sciences149.6%
    5. Chemistry95.9%
    6. Environmental Science95.8%
    7. Computer Science42.9%
    8. Chemical Engineering21.1%
    9. Mathematics10.6%
    10. Energy00.2%
    1. Health Professions42.7%
    2. Medicine21.5%
    1. Decision Sciences21.5%
    2. Social Sciences21.1%
    3. Economics, Econometrics and Finance00.1%
    4. Psychology00.1%
    5. Arts and Humanities00.1%
    6. Business, Management and Accounting00.1%
    1. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10.9%
    2. Agricultural and Biological Sciences00.2%
    3. Neuroscience00.1%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

What does Atomic Weapons Establishment specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Physics and Astronomy takes 9.0× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Physics and AstronomyField · 30.1 works9.0×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient, a volume reading rather than an impact one. It surfaces small, lopsided specialities.

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 0.05× its world share, 0 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.18× its world share, 1 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Neuroscience: 0.07× its world share, 0 worksNeuroscienceChemical Engineering: 3.01× its world share, 2 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 3.78× its world share, 9 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.37× its world share, 4 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 6.09× its world share, 14 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.24× its world share, 0 worksEnergyEngineering: 2.00× its world share, 45 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.17× its world share, 9 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 4.45× its world share, 23 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.48× its world share, 1 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 8.97× its world share, 30 worksPhysics and AstronomyHealth Professions: 1.02× its world share, 4 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.08× its world share, 2 worksMedicineArts and Humanities: 0.04× its world share, 0 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.02× its world share, 0 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.51× its world share, 2 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.07× its world share, 0 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.04× its world share, 0 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.08× its world share, 2 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 9.0×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 21 fields, with their numbers
  1. Physics and Astronomy8.97×30 works
  2. Earth and Planetary Sciences6.09×14 works
  3. Materials Science4.45×23 works
  4. Chemistry3.78×9 works
  5. Chemical Engineering3.01×2 works
  6. Engineering2.00×45 works
  7. Decision Sciences1.51×2 works
  8. Environmental Science1.17×9 works
  9. Health Professions1.02×4 works
  10. Mathematics0.48×1 works
  11. Computer Science0.37×4 works
  12. Energy0.24×0 works
  13. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology0.18×1 works
  14. Medicine0.08×2 works
  15. Social Sciences0.08×2 works
  16. Neuroscience0.07×0 works
  17. Economics, Econometrics and Finance0.07×0 works
  18. Agricultural and Biological Sciences0.05×0 works
  19. Arts and Humanities0.04×0 works
  20. Psychology0.04×0 works
  21. Business, Management and Accounting0.02×0 works

Who are the top researchers at Atomic Weapons Establishment?

Ranked on the quality score, D. A. Chapman, J. M. Foster and David N. Green lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Atomic Weapons Establishment.

  1. 1 D. A. Chapman United Kingdom · #582,236 worldwide 1.6k citations · 65 works
  2. 2 J. M. Foster United Kingdom · #698,061 worldwide 5k citations · 145 works
  3. 3 David N. Green United Kingdom · #846,987 worldwide 1.3k citations · 41 works
  4. 4 D. L. Youngs United Kingdom · #973,791 worldwide 6k citations · 83 works
  5. 5 T.J. Goldsack United Kingdom · #1,445,373 worldwide 1.3k citations · 30 works
  6. 6 Ian W. Donald United Kingdom · #1,492,205 worldwide 3.4k citations · 82 works
  7. 7 S. Hinds United Kingdom · #2,036,926 worldwide 3.4k citations · 102 works
  8. 8 C. C. Smith United Kingdom · #2,060,521 worldwide 1k citations · 37 works
  9. 9 Wayne Gaudin United Kingdom · #2,061,880 worldwide 625 citations · 26 works
  10. 10 S. D. Rothman United Kingdom · #2,083,839 worldwide 1.2k citations · 95 works
All ranked researchers at Atomic Weapons Establishment

What are the most cited papers from Atomic Weapons Establishment?

The most cited paper from Atomic Weapons Establishment is "ENDF/B-VIII.0: The 8 th Major Release of the Nuclear Reaction Data Library with CIELO-project Cross Sections, New Standards and Thermal Scattering Data" (David A. Brown et al., 2018), with 2,345 citations. Next come "Contemporary particle-in-cell approach to laser-plasma modelling" (1,640) and "Petawatt and exawatt class lasers worldwide" (970).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 ENDF/B-VIII.0: The 8 th Major Release of the Nuclear Reaction Data Library with CIELO-project Cross Sections, New Standards and Thermal Scattering Data David A. Brown et al. · Nuclear Data Sheets Open access Feb 2018 2,345
2 Contemporary particle-in-cell approach to laser-plasma modelling T. D. Arber, Keith E. Bennett, C. S. Brady et al. · Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion Open access 10 Sep 2015 1,640
3 Petawatt and exawatt class lasers worldwide Colin N. Danson et al. · High Power Laser Science and Engineering Open access 2019 970
4 Additive manufacturing of advanced ceramic materials Yazid Lakhdar, Christopher J. Tuck, Jon G. P. Binner et al. · Progress in Materials Science Open access 30 Sep 2020 850
5 Dimer problem in statistical mechanics-an exact result H. N. V. Temperley, Michael Ellis Fisher · Philosophical magazine Aug 1961 835
All 60 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at Atomic Weapons Establishment?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Tomography, Health Effects, Radionuclides, Oxidation Resistance, Density Functional Theory, High Temperature Behavior, Hydrogen Embrittlement and Accident Tolerant Fuels.

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's

Size is fractional works in 2022-now in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Tomography14▲ 53×4 topics
  2. Health Effects10▲ 11×2 topics
  3. Radionuclides10▲ 172×2 topics
  4. Oxidation Resistance8▲ 52×3 topics
  5. Density Functional Theory8▲ 53×2 topics
  6. High Temperature Behavior8▲ 95×2 topics
  7. Hydrogen Embrittlement8▲ 62×2 topics
  8. Accident Tolerant Fuels8▲ 143×1 topic
  9. Fuel Cladding8▲ 143×1 topic
  10. Superconductivity8▲ 29×4 topics
  11. Actinides7▲ 96×2 topics
  12. Adsorption7▲ 21×2 topics
  13. Small-Angle Scattering7▲ 85×2 topics
  14. Coordination Chemistry6▲ 66×2 topics
  15. Neutron Activation Analysis6▲ 130×1 topic
  16. Neutron Imaging6▲ 130×1 topic
  17. Lanthanides6▲ 98×1 topic
  18. Molecular Dynamics Simulations6▲ 97×2 topics
  19. Uranium6▲ 126×1 topic
  20. Fukushima Daiichi6▲ 251×1 topic
  21. nuclear accident6▲ 251×1 topic
  22. Crystal Growth5▲ 13×3 topics
  23. Ionic Liquids5▲ 13×4 topics
  24. Thermal Decomposition5▲ 80×2 topics
  25. Inorganic Scintillators5▲ 103×1 topic
  26. Plate Tectonics5▲ 22×2 topics
  27. Scintillation Detectors5▲ 103×1 topic
  28. Crystal Structure Prediction5▲ 67×1 topic
  29. Mantle Dynamics5▲ 67×1 topic
  30. Energetic Salts4▲ 121×1 topic
  31. ReaxFF4▲ 121×1 topic
  32. Electron Beams4▲ 157×1 topic
  33. Laser-Plasma Accelerators4▲ 157×1 topic
  34. Ionizing Radiation4▲ 38×2 topics
  35. Lung Cancer4▲ 15×1 topic
  36. Radon4▲ 115×1 topic
  37. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy4▲ 31×2 topics
  38. Detonation Propulsion3▲ 80×1 topic
  39. Pulse Detonation Engines3▲ 80×1 topic
  40. Microstructural Evolution3▲ 15×2 topics

Which research topics does Atomic Weapons Establishment publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Nuclear Materials and Properties, Nuclear Physics and Applications, Radioactive element chemistry and processing and Radioactive contamination and transfer.

Nuclear Materials and Pr…8Nuclear Materials and Properties: 8 fractional worksNuclear Physics and Appl…6Nuclear Physics and Applications: 6 fractional worksRadioactive element chem…6Radioactive element chemistry and processing: 6 fractional worksRadioactive contaminatio…6Radioactive contamination and transfer: 6 fractional worksRadiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies: 5 fractional worksHigh-pressure geophysics and materials: 5 fractional worksEnergetic Materials and …4Energetic Materials and Combustion: 4 fractional worksLaser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics: 4 fractional worksRadioactivity and Radon Measurements: 4 fractional worksCombustion and Detonatio…3Combustion and Detonation Processes: 3 fractional works
Materials ChemistryRadiationInorganic ChemistryGlobal and Planetary Change5 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Nuclear Materials and Properties Materials Chemistry 8 works
  2. 2 Nuclear Physics and Applications Radiation 6 works
  3. 3 Radioactive element chemistry and processing Inorganic Chemistry 6 works
  4. 4 Radioactive contamination and transfer Global and Planetary Change 6 works
  5. 5 Radiation Detection and Scintillator Technologies Radiation 5 works
  6. 6 High-pressure geophysics and materials Geophysics 5 works
  7. 7 Energetic Materials and Combustion Mechanics of Materials 4 works
  8. 8 Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics Nuclear and High Energy Physics 4 works
  9. 9 Radioactivity and Radon Measurements Radiological and Ultrasound Technology 4 works
  10. 10 Combustion and Detonation Processes Aerospace Engineering 3 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world's own shares: the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available20.0%not open80.0%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors15.1%domestic only84.9%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has Atomic Weapons Establishment's research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 20% lower than in 2018-2021.

still counting1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Atomic Weapons Establishment as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.00072% in 2024.

still counting0.0050%0.010%0.015%Atomic Weapons Establishment0.00056% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Atomic Weapons Establishment over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year, against all institutions in the same year.

still counting5%10%15%all institutions10.0% in 2025Atomic Weapons Establishment3.2% in 202520102020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 12.3% in 2011.

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