Last week, we wrote about a funding crisis at the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the main funding body for particle physics, nuclear physics and astronomy in the UK. As we reported, the STFC is facing a £40 million shortfall in its 2010 budget, and it’s going to make it up the hard way, by cutting back on programmes.

The details of exactly what STFC will do are still up in the air, pending the completion of a programmatic-wide review on 16 December, but already physicists are airing their concerns.

Nuclear physicist Jim Al-Khalili of the University of Surrey is quoted widely today that he fears nuclear physics might be singled out for deeper cuts than astronomy or particle physics. Speaking to New Scientist, the Guardian and the Times, Al-Khalili says that his community is scared the cuts could “wipe out” nuclear physics.

Al-Khalili’s fears are not unfounded. Nuclear physics is smallest of the three groups covered by STFC, and unlike particle physics and astronomy, they don’t pay subscriptions to international projects like the Large Hadron Collider and the European Southern Observatory. But as he points out, the government is also making huge commitments to revive nuclear power right now. It would look bad for their nuclear renaissance if they eviscerated their university-based research programmes.

On balance, it’s difficult to say how the cuts will play out. The STFC board will have the ultimate say, and until they release their recommendations, it’s going to be a nervous time for all.