The application of neutron scattering to food-based systems has significant potential to food structure and to the complex relationship between food processing, structure, rheology, nutrition and food quality.
To identify the future scientific needs in the application of neutron scattering to Food Science a Foresight Study will be held next year. The study is a collaboration between ANSTO, AINSE, ORNL and NMI3. The findings will help neutron facilities to further adapt their infrastructure to the requirements of the wider scientific community and enable potential users to develop collaborations with neutron scattering researchers.
Protein structure, polymers for food packaging, emulsions, lipid metabolism/digestion, flow behaviour ... are examples of food science studies with neutrons.
Why neutron scattering? To investigate the properties and their effects on the final characteristics of the food product, it is of outmost importance to maintain the environment as close as possible to the original conditions. In this sense, neutron scattering possesses particularly attractive attributes...
Read more in the article:
Neutron scattering: A natural tool for food science and technology research - Amparo Lopez-Rubio and Elliot Paul Gilbert.
Trends in Food Science & Technology xx (2009) 1e11 - Elsevier
The Website of the Workshop is up now whit all the necessary information to organize your attendance at this interesting event. Have a look now!
Abstract submission closes 30th, April
ONCE AGAIN MONEY FOR NEUTRON AND MUON TRAINING ACTIVITIES! (13/01/2010)
THIRD NMI3 CALL for PROPOSALS UNDER FP7
NMI3, the Integrated Infrastructure Initiative for Neutron Scattering and Muon Spectroscopy is again offering the possibility to apply for funding provided by the European Commission, to organize training activities that relate to spreading the use of neutron scattering or muon spectroscopy.
You are welcomed to submit your proposal until the 19th February 2010.
Support:
• Schools on neutron scattering and/or muon spectroscopy.
• Workshops to improve neutron and muon techniques and methods.
Please note that, due to the more limited funds that are available to the NMI3 in FP7, we are strongly preferring to support schools on neutron scattering or muon spectroscopy which are designed to train researchers in the use of neutrons and muons. Workshops on science or instrumentation topics related to neutrons and muons are only being supported if there are funds remaining after support for schools has been allocated.
This call for proposals is the third call under FP7 and relates to applications covering the period from June 2010 – January 2011
The next Call for Proposals, for events to be held from January 2011 to June 2011, will be announced in June 2010.
Applications are now welcome for the ISIS Muon Training School. This School will happen from 23-28 May 2010. The deadline for applications is 26 February 2010.
The School is suitable for post-graduate or post-doctoral workers who will be using muons for a significant amount of their research. It will consist of lectures in the principles and applications of the muon technique, together with the chance to perform two experiments on ISIS muon instruments.
The ISIS Pulsed Source, at the STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), is home to the world’s most intense beam of pulsed muons for condensed matter investigations.
The School is part-funded by NMI3, through the Networking activity.
Further details, including how to apply, can be found on the ISIS Website
The European Neutron Portal has been informing the neutron and muon community since its foundation in 2003. Seven years of news! We will keep pushing that forward to keep you updated on the latest news regarding neutrons and muons.
Take a glance at the video, a collection of highlights of the year 2009!
and if you want to know more visit our News section
NEW CALL FOR THE MARIE CURIE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH STAFF EXCHANGE SCHEME (23/12/2009)
Marie Curie International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES)
The European Commission has published a new call for the Marie Curie International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES) targeting projects starting at the end of 2010.
The International Research Staff Exchange Scheme aims at strengthening research partnerships through short staff exchanges between 2 or more European research organisations and organisations from countries like Australia, Canada, NZ, USA, etc and for a period of 24-48 months. Individual staff exchanges will not exceed 12 months.
These actions have a bottom-up approach, and research fields are chosen freely by the applicants. Since the start of the program in 2008, 29 selected projects involved Australian teams.
European staff will receive a monthly subsistence allowance of €1,900, covering all mobility costs (including travel) from the European Commission
Funding for Australian staff
This Marie Curie action is not totally supported by the European Commission. Australian staff, will need to seek funding from their own institutions or/and any domestic sources.
In order to assist participating Australian research organisations, the Australian Government Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR) provided some support to help cover these mobility costs. Funding through the International Science Linkages programme and worth $200,000 in 2009, assists such Australian research organisations for this purpose (for the call in 2008, 12 IRSESprojects involvedAustralia, 17 in 2009).
For the current call,no funding has yet been confirmed or committed.
This funding is intended to support travel and subsistence costs for a number of exchanges over the period thatIRSESis in place, and this initial level of support may be reviewed if demand is particularly high. Such funding would be available on a competitive basis and, to be eligible for consideration, Australian research organisations would need to demonstrate that they are a member of a selected partnership underIRSES.
Selection procedures are available from theAustralianAcademyof Science, which manages this contribution at: www.science.org.au/internat/irses.htm.
Application
Proposals are submitted electronically via the Commission's Electronic Proposal Submission Service (EPSS). Proposals are submitted, and are evaluated by external independent experts against a series of predetermined criteria. The lead participant or coordinator must be fromEurope.
Information from: Forum for European-Australian Science and Technology Cooperation www.feast.org
CONDENSED MATTER AND NEUTRONS CONDENSED IN A BOOK (11/11/2009)
NEUTRON SCATTERING IN CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
In this book, recently published, the most important phenomena and materials properties in condensed matter physics are described and exemplified by typical neutron scattering experiments.
The book is addressed to graduate students as well as to researchers and lecturers who wants to learn about neutrons and condensed matter physics.
... an introduction to the basic principles and instrumental aspects of neutron scattering.
... explaining how the relevant information can be extracted from the measurements.
by Albert Furrer, Joël Mesot and Thierry Strässle (ETH Zurich & PSI Villigen, Switzerland) Other titles of this Series on Neutron Techniques and Applications: World Scientific pages
NEUTRON SPIN ECHO SPECTROMETER INAUGURATED AT THE SPALLATION NEUTRON SOURCE IN OAK RIDGE (05/11/2009)
Jülich / Oak Ridge (USA), 5 November 2009 – A unique large-scale research device from Jülich went into operation in the USA yesterday. At the strongest neutron source in the world, the spallation source SNS in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Forschungszentrum Jülich inaugurated a so-called neutron spin echo (NSE) spectrometer. The NSE spectrometer enables detailed observations to be made of the motion of proteins and polymers. It will thus help to develop improved plastics or to understand metabolic processes in cells.
From left to right: Ian Anderson (SNS Director), Jeremy Smith (SNS), Sebastian Schmidt (Board of Directors - Forschungszentrum Jülich), Beatrix Vierkorn-Rudolph (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research), Dieter Richter (IFF Director Forschungszentrum Jülich), Jost Liebich (Forschungszentrum Jülich), and Christian Joergens (German Embassy in Washington).
Picture and text courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory
3rd ILL MILLENNIUM SYMPOSIUM AND EUROPEAN USER MEETING TO BE HELD IN GRENOBLE (03/11/2009)
The 3rd Millennium Symposium and European User meeting will be held from 15 to 17 September 2010 in Grenoble.
At the end of 2008, the first phase (M-0) of ILL’s modernization program was completed, delivering 6 new and 8 upgraded instruments and improved infrastructure to the benefit of ILL’s vast user community. It is timely to review what has been achieved and also to inform the user community about the status of the 2nd phase of the modernization program, which was officially launched in June 2007.
Furthermore, with a grant from the EC in the framework of the ESFRI Roadmap (European Science Forum on Research Infrastructures) the ILL already entered the planning stage for the 3rd phase (M-2, 2013-2017) of its instrument renewal program. The meeting is meant to discuss the envisaged projects and, in particular, to receive input and advice on those projects.
‘MAGNETRICITY’ OBSERVED AND MEASURED FOR THE FIRST TIME AT ISIS (02/11/2009)
A magnetic charge can behave and interact just like an electric charge in some materials, according to new research conducted at STFC’s ISIS facility and led by the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN) which could lead to a reassessment of current magnetism theories, as well as significant technological advances.
The research, published today in Nature, proves the existence of atom-sized ‘magnetic charges’ that behave and interact just like more familiar electric charges. It also demonstrates a perfect symmetry between electricity and magnetism – a phenomenon dubbed ‘magnetricity' by the authors from the LCN and the Science and Technology Facility Council’s ISIS Neutron and Muon Source .
In order to prove experimentally the existence of magnetic current for the first time, the team mapped Onsager's 1934 theory of the movement of ions in water onto magnetic currents in a material called spin ice. They then tested the theory by applying a magnetic field to a spin ice sample at a very low temperature and observing the process using muons at ISIS.
The experiment allowed the team to detect magnetic charges in the spin ice (Dy2Ti2O7), to measure their currents, and to determine the elementary unit of the magnetic charge in the material. The monopoles they observed arise as disturbances of the magnetic state of the spin ice, and can exist only inside the material.
Professor Steve Bramwell, LCN co-author of the paper, said: “Magnetic monopoles were first predicted to exist in 1931, but despite many searches, they have never yet been observed as freely roaming elementary particles. These monopoles do at least exist within the spin ice sample, but not outside.
"It is not often in the field of physics you get the chance to ask 'How do you measure something?' and then go on to prove a theory unequivocally. This is a very important step to establish that magnetic charge can flow like electric charge. It is in the early stages, but who knows what the applications of magnetricity could be in 100 years time."
Professor Keith Mason, Chief Executive of STFC said; “The unequivocal proof that magnetic charge is conducted in spin ice add significantly to our understanding of electromagnetism. Whilst we will have to wait to see what applications magnetricity will find in technology, this research shows that curiosity driven research will always have the potential to make an impact on the way we live and work. Advanced materials research depends greatly on having access to central research labs like ISIS allowing the UK science community to flourish and make exciting discoveries like this”
Dr Sean Giblin, instrument scientist at ISIS and co-author of the paper, added: “The results were astounding, using muons at ISIS we are finally able to confirm that magnetic charge really is conducted through certain materials at certain temperatures – just like the way ions conduct electricity in water.”
NMI3 - Integrated Infrastructure Initiative for Neutron Scattering and Muon Spectroscopy will spend 30.000 euros of the training budget to support schools on neutron scattering and muon spectroscopy to be held from January to December of next year in different places of Europe: Germany, France, UK and Spain.
The next call for proposals for events to be held from June to December 2010, will be announced sometime in early 2010.
The NMI3 project is supported by the European Commission and falls within the action 'Research Infrastructures' of the 'Capacities' Programme. NMI3 devotes an higher percentage of its budget to training activities to improve effective use of neutron and muon facilities.
THE NEW CHAIRMAN OF THE EUROPEAN NEUTRON ASSOCIATION INTRODUCES HIS VISION ON THE FUTURE NEUTRON LANDSCAPE.(22/10/2009)
it is very important for the future of the field to recruit in a sustainable fashion “young scientists” and to ensure that the potential of the continuously improving potential of neutron scattering does reach research areas, which have not been using neutron up to now These are words of Michael Stiener the new chairman of the European Neutron Association.
Read the full article on the ENSA Website.
PLANNING YOUR EXPERIMENT FOR NEXT YEARS! REACTORS SHUT DOWNS UPCOMING! BE AWARE! (12/10/2009)
In the next two years most of the European facilities will shut down their reactors for improvements and maintenance works. Take this into account if you are planning to apply for beam time in the future!
This is the provisional schedule.
(Provisional planning shut down neutron sources - Click on the picture Diagram by Susana GOTA-GOLDMANN Laboratoire Léon Brillouin
Click to enlarge it
Shut-down schedule details for HZB - Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH. Reported by Hans A. Graf -User Access Coordination
The reactor is shut down from October 2010 until March 2011 (6 months). From April 2011 onwards the "thermal instruments" can then be used again and presumeably also the three "cold instruments" in the neutron guide hall II. Beginning in April 2011 the instruments in the neutron guide hall I (i.e. about one half of all of our instruments) are built up again and recommissioned step by step, the last instrument becoming operational again in November 2011 (except the TOF spectrometer NEAT - this will not be finished before 2013).
Shut-down schedule details for FRMII - Reactor Cycles Due to the refurbishment of the positron source, the reactor operation will be limited in 2010. We are planning to run 3,5 cycles in order to deliver 203 days of beam time for scientific and industrial applications. The work will start in October 2010 and will last till spring 2011.
Helmut Schober, NMI3 coordinator drawing the plan at the NMI3 Bussines Meeting on 7th October in Garching
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NEUTRON SCATTERING 2013 TO BE HELD IN EDINBURGH (12/10/2009)
Edinburgh, where Malcolm III built the 11th century castle, is the place to be visited 2013 by hundreds of neutron experts. This legendary city will host the 10th International Conference in Neutron Scattering - ICNS 2013.
The decision was taken at the 32th ENSA Conference held last Friday in Garching. The delegates of the European Association in Neutron Scattering selected Edinburgh against other two candidatures: Venice and Grenoble .
Keith McEwen will take care of the organization with the help of Paul Attfield of the University of Edinburgh. Dates have to be fixed.
P Attfield and K McEwen happy at the 32th meeting in Garching - 8th October 2009
ENSA HAS A NEW BOARD (12/10/2009)
At the 32th ENSA meeting at FRMII in Garching Michael Steiner was chosen as new chairman for the European Neutron Association. M Steiner was the head of the former HMI -Hahn-Meitner-Institut until his retirement in June 2008. Now he will continue contributing to the neutron community representing the European users. His experience and his wide vision of the neutron world is a guarantee of success in his new task. Javier Campo, the Spanish delegate, will help as vice chairman of the Association with his enthusiasm, to defend the user’s interests. Kenneth D. Knudsen, the representative of Norway, will be the responsible of the correct performance of the administrative tasks. Our congratulation and best wishes to the new team!
Kenneth D. Knudsen, Michael Stiener, Javier Campo at the 32th ENSA meeting - FRMII Garching
ALL ABOUT KINETICS WITH NEUTRONS IN THE NEW BOOK PUBLISHED BY SPRINGER (18/09/09)
"Studying Kinetics with Neutrons - Prospects for Time-Resolved Neutron Scattering" - this is the title of the book that will see the light this autumn. Published by Springer the volume form part of the 'Series in Solid-State Sciences'. The book provides an overview of kinetics with neutrons: how the development of new real-time techniques allows to track transformation processes in condensed matter on a microscopic scale.
Götz Eckold, Helmut Schober, and Stephen E.Nagler are the editors.
This publication is the outcome of the Symposium Studying Kinetics with Neutrons, one of a series of conferences organized jointly by European, American and Japanese scientific institutions with a strong affiliation to Neutron Scattering. The symposium was held in September 2007 at the University of Göttingen, Germany.
NMI3 book contest at the International Conference on Neutron Scattering - Knoxville, USA, May 2009.
WORKING ON DIAGNOSTICS OF ENERGY MATERIALS WITH SYNCHROTRON OR NEUTRON RADIATION? SEND YOUR ABSTRACT FOR CONTRIBUTED TALKS NOW! (24/07/2009)
Next year in springtime the MRS Symposium "Diagnostics and Characterization of Energy Materials with Synchrotron and Neutron Radiation" will be held in San Francisco, California.
The 2010 Materials Research Society Spring Meeting will feature 42 technical symposia in four topical clusters: Functional Materials, Nanomaterials, Energy Materials, Soft/Biomaterials.
If you are working on energy conversion and storage materials and devices, and you are a researcher who study such systems at large-scale facilities...
... this is the right event to show your results and to discuss on the future possibilities for the analysis of materials for the energy sector!. You can attend this interesting symposium at the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco, from 5 to 9 of April 2010.
SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT! before November 2, 2009
DO IT NOW! if you are late it will not be accepted.
ORGANIZING A SCHOOL OR WORKSHOP ON NEUTRON OR MUON TECHNIQUES? GET THE MONEY! (04/06/09)
Do you need money to grant young people attending an international neutron school?
Do you have a good idea to organize a Workshop in a specific and outstanding application of neutron or muon techniques?
Submit your proposal until the 30th of June 2009.
NMI3, the Integrated Infrastructure Initiative for Neutron Scattering and Muon Spectroscopy supports:
• Schools on neutron scattering and/or muon spectroscopy.
• Workshops to improve neutron and muon techniques and methods.
• Foresight Studies.
Please note that, due to the more limited funds that are available to the NMI3 in FP7, preference will be given to applications for schools on neutron scattering or muon spectroscopy.
THE EUROPEAN SPALLATION SOURCE CLOSER TO THE REALITY: A MESSAGE OF THE ENSA CHAIRMAN (03/06/09)
ENSA news Peter Allenspach Chairman of ENSA and Coordinator of the FP7 ESS Preparatory Phase Project, comments on the recommendation of the European Research ministers to build the European Spallation Source in Lund in Sweden. On behalf of Europe's neutron users, he thanks the people helping ESS to take this big step towards becoming a reality.
On behalf of Europe's neutron users, represented by the European Neutron Scattering Association, ENSA, I would like to extend my thanks and admiration to the Swedish, Spanish and Hungarian teams and also to all the other neutron scientists and technologists from across Europe who are continuing to work so hard to turn ESS from neutron dream to neutron reality."
THE EUROPEAN SPALLATION SOURCE WILL BE BUILT IN LUND, SWEDEN (29/05/09)
Press release ESSS - European Spallation Source Scandinavia
Friday, 29 May 2009 12:37
Clear support for ESS in Sweden: A great step for European science
On Thursday evening at a meeting of research ministers in Brussels, the Swedish candidacy to build the European research facility ESS received support from a clear majority. It is now clear that the ESS will be built in Lund, Sweden.
Sweden was supported by seven countries – Germany, France, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Estonia and Latvia – with a further two, Italy and Switzerland, voting with the majority. One country supported another candidate country.
- This clear majority for Sweden means that the siting of the ESS now is decided. This is a great step for European science, and for tomorrow’s scientists, says Colin Carlile, Director of ESS Scandinavia.
- We heartily thank our fellow site contenders Spain and Hungary. Without this strong competition there could not have been a decision on the ESS. Now we must all work together in the neutron community of Europe to build the next generation neutron source.
- The Scandinavian ESS team has been working for this decision since 2000, but now the real work will begin!, concludes Colin Carlile.
The European Spallation Source, ESS, will be the world-leading research facility using neutrons for materials research and life science. It will be one of Europe’s largest research centres, and co-located with the next generation synchrotron MAXIV.
FIRST USERS AT THE ISIS SECOND TARGET STATION (28/05/09)
ISIS Second Target Station - Wednesday 27 May 2009 After five years of construction, the ISIS Second Target Station has opened its doors for the first scheduled experiment.Professor Jeff Penfold, the Chief Scientist for the ISIS Second Target Station is leading the team from Oxford University and ISIS. The joint team will carry out the experiment on the Inter reflectometer. They expect the results to lead to significant advances in understanding the workings of everything from cell membranes to the practical chemistry of fabric conditioners.
THREE CANDIDATURES FOR ICNS 2013 (28/05/09) Three European candidatures were presented at Knoxville to host the next International Conference on Neutron Scattering: Edinburg, Grenoble and Venice.... More information coming soon.
IMAGES OF THE 9th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF NEUTRON SCATTERING (27/05/09)
The first was Hakone in Japan, afterwards followed Santa Fe, Grenoble, Oxford, Sendai, Toronto, Munich, Australia and this year the 9th International Conference gathered around 600 experts of 29 countries in Knoxville from May 3rd through 7th, 2009.
ICNS 09 was sponsored by the Neutron Scattering Society of America and hosted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
• A Conference Exhibits of sixteen manufacturers and suppliers, nine neutron facilities and diverse organizations from Europe, America and Australia, and the three contenders to host the expected European Spallation Neutron Source.
• 303 Poster to present during the sessions and coffee breaks
• 200 talks and 8 plenary sessions covering topics in biology, chemistry, materials science, engineering, soft matter, condensed matter physics, instrumentation, and fundamental physics.
• 16 satellite meetings
• The presentation of the Walter Hälg Prize of the European Neutron Scattering Association to Dieter Richter, a tour of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) and High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), the Conference Walk-around Banquet.. and much more!
Take a look to the video and get an impression!
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xyhJv-FatU
INTERVIEW WITH DIETER RICHTER THE WINNER OF THE 2009 WALTER HAELG PRIZE (27/05/09)
Professor Dieter Richter (Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany), is the winner of the 2009 Hälg Prize of the European Neutron Scattering Association, in recognition of his coherent work towards understanding the dynamics of polymers and biological macromolecules using high-resolution neutron scattering
techniques.
• You have won a number of prizes during your career. Does the Haelg Prize mean something different to you?
This prize is for me very special, because is the recognition of my colleagues
• If you search Google for ‘Richter Soft Matter’ you will get around one thousand references: conferences, talks, meetings, books, and thousand of papers… a long and successful career. The best moment in your professional life:
The best time of my career was the time I was senior scientist at ILL in Grenoble. At that time I could work very well scientifically without being bothered by other things.
• Soft Matter in four easy words:
Soft matter are many things that are around you: polymers, plastics, food, biological matter. All these materials have rather similar properties and are governed by statistical physics and therefore we can deal with all this materials under similar aspects.
• How soft matter interact with industry?
There is a huge industry dealing with Soft Matter. Big companies as Unilever UK, BASF, Dow... When you think about cosmetics, shampoo, cleaning agents… is all Soft matter. Applications and science are relative close together. Any agreements with the industry?
I am involved in several European projects where Industry plays an important role.
• Your dedication to work:
About ten or eleven hours per day
• Your hobbies:
Hiking the mountains, skiing... I try to do it as often as I can. I used to play tennis but I cannot do it anymore. I am also interested in literature, particularly in some modern literature.
• And music?: Opera, I like very much to go to the Opera.
• What's next? Your next dream or objective.
In the future in particular I’ll work in a better understanding on the functioning of biological molecules and the dynamics. This is my scientific hobby.
Prize-Giving Ceremony Walter Hälg Prize at the International Conference Neutron Scattering - ICNS 2009 at Knoxville on Tuesday 5th May. Prof Dieter Richter receiving the Prize (10,000 Swiss Francs) from the hands of Peter Allenspach (ENSA chairman) and delivering his acceptance speech on soft matter dynamics titled "Interdisciplinary Soft Matter". (Pictures Courtesy of MRS Materials Research Society & ESSS)
BOOK CONTEST AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF NEUTRON SCATTERING IN KNOXVILLE, TN (21/05/09).
The recently started NMI3 project, supported by the new Seventh Frame programme of the European Commission (FP7), was present at the International Neutron Scattering Conference in Knoxville. The Integrated Infrastructure Initiative for Neutron Scattering and Muon Spectroscopy was Bronze Sponsor of the Conference and one of the 30 exhibitors of this 2009 edition of ICNS.
Information was provided on NMI3 activities during the latest period (under FP6) and a ‘Quest Map’ representing the 10 neutron facilities taking part in the NMI3 project was presented. The quest consisted in matching the right logo with each of the 10 European neutron facilits in the map. In collaboration with ORNL-SNS, NMI3 offered the possibility to win a copy of the recently published book: Neutron Applications in Earth, Energy, And Environmental Sciences (Springer) to the successful map quest participants. This publication stems from a series of foresight workshops jointly organized by European, American and Japanese scientific institutions with a strong affiliation to Neutron Scattering.
Romano Rinaldi, from the University of Perugia, Italy, is one of the Editors of the book, together with Liyuan Liang from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Helmut Schober from the Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France. Romano was invited to present the book at the NMI3 booth, and went even further... taking the contest under his own responsibility and dedicating some of his precious time to the visitors of the booth. ORNL-SNS supported the Book Raffle providing three copies of the volume..
These are the Winners of the NMI3-ORNL Map Quest - Book Raffle Contest at ICNS'09, Knoxville:
Premysl Beran
Department of Neutron Physics, Nuclear Physics Institute,
Řež Czech Republic
Elinor Spencer
Dept. Geosciences, Crystallography Laboratory
Virginia Tech, USA
Natkaniec Ireneusz
Frank Laboratory Neutron Physics, Joint Institute Nuclear Research
Dubna, Moscow reg. Russia
The Knoxville Convention Center hosts neutron experts from all over the world attending the 2009 International Conference on Neutron Scattering (ICNS2009). John Root, director of the Canadian Neutron Beam Centre, opened the Conference with an enthusiastic and interactive talk on the state of neutron scattering throughout the world. The objective of his talk was to start the disscusion and he did it!. The audience cooperated actively expressing their ideas on 'how to make the value of neutron scattering into common knowledge'. The 660 attractive scientific presentations covering topics in biology, chemistry, engineering, soft matter, etc, the colorful exhibit and posters, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Tour and the ‘multiculti’ environment of the coffee breaks, makes this Conference brilliant, in spite of the rain.
SWEDEN AND SPAIN IN AGREEMENT ABOUT ESS (03/05/09) Sweden and Spain intend to sign a Memorandum of Understanding that the research facility ESS (European Spallation Source) will be built in Lund, Sweden.
Read the Press Release
WHAT DO NEUTRONS HAVE TO DO WITH BIOLOGY? (03/05/09)
Neutrons in Biology 2009 - a meeting on recent progress in the application of neutron scattering to problems in biological and biomedical science at Palaestra, Lund University, Lund Sweden 22-24 June 2009. As the trend towards interdisciplinarity widens for the study of biological systems, neutron scattering approaches are becoming an increasingly important part of the powerful array of techniques that are needed to study these systems in a genuinely integrated way. The programme of the meeting will cover biological problems that are currently being addressed by different neutron scattering techniques as well as those where there is the potential to do so in the future. A conscious effort will therefore be made to involve researchers whose activities currently do not exploit these methods. Strong emphasis will also be placed on enabling technologies - eg deuteration and other forms of isotope labelling, and methods for sample preparation. The meeting is organised by Physical Chemistry, Lund University and scientists associated with neutron facilities around Europe. The meeting is sponsored by The Swedish Research Council, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences through its Nobel Institute of Chemistry, NMI3, Region Skåne and ESS-Scandinavia.
For further info and registration please visit The Neutrons in Biology 2009 pages
THE 2009 HÄLG PRIZE AWARDED TO DIETER RICHTER (02/04/09)
The selection committee of the 2009 Walter Hälg Prize of the European Neutron Scattering Association (ENSA) is delighted to announce that the recipient of the 2009 Walter Hälg Prize will be:
Professor Dieter Richter
of the Research Center Jülich, Germany, in recognition of his coherent work towards understanding the dynamics of polymers and biological macromolecules using high-resolution neutron scattering
techniques.
The Prize is awarded biennially to a European scientist for outstanding, coherent work in neutron scattering with long-term impact on scientific and/or technical neutron scattering applications. The sixth award of the prize is expected to be awarded during the International Conference on Neutron Scattering ICNS 2009 (May 3-7, 2009, Knoxville, USA).
FORUM TO DISCUSS HOW TO RUN A NEUTRON USER FACILITY (01/04/09)
How to run a neutron user facility?
How a neutron source such as ESS could be operated?
… before the experiment, the experiment and all around it, after the experiment, attraction and education of new users…
We need your ideas! Even crazy ideas!
A forum has been created just to discuss this item.
Your opinion is Welcome!
This initiative belong to one of the tasks of the ESS Preparatory Phase.
Reported by: ESS Preparatory Phase Project - FP7.
Contact: Peter Allenspach
Register selecting the registration option on the upper right corner of the login page. Then a confirmation mail is sent automatically to the e-mail indicated during the registration procedure. This e mail contains an account activation link. For any technical problem contact Antonio Deriu
40.000€ FOR TRAINING ACTIVITIES ON NEUTRON AND MUON TECHNIQUES (31/03/09)
NMI3 FIRST ROUND FOR PROPOSALS EVALUATED.
The Integrated Infrastructure Initiative for Neutron Scattering and Muon Spectroscopy (NMI3-FP7) devote a high percentage of its budget to support training activities focused on neutron scattering and muon spectroscopy. The training of new generations of future users is one of the main NMI3 tasks.
The results of the evaluation of the 14 proposals submitted to the First NMI3 call to support training activities, was presented today at the NMI3 Launch meeting in Villigen. The Evaluation Committee proposes the assignation of a total of 40.000€ to support six schools and one workshop, to be held during the year 2009 in different places of Europe: France, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
The next Call for Proposals, for events to be held from January 2010 to June 2010, will be announced this spring.
Welcome to the first issue of PSI facility news! This quarterly electronic newsletter will keep you informed about news and scientific highlights from the PSI photon, neutron and muon user facilities.
Please access the PSI facility news here We are pleased for any feedback and suggestions for topics or content.
With kind regards
The PSI facility news team
PAUL SCHERRER INSTITUT
CH-5232 Villigen PSI
Switzerland
NEW MANAGER FOR THE NMI3 PROJECT UNDER FP7 (19/02/09)
Miriam Förster has taken over the administrative task for the NMI3 project under FP7. Miriam joint the NMI3 team with a broad international experience in project management, research expertise and language skills: you can communicate with our NMI3 manager in German, English, French, Spanish and in the future also in Swedish.
After environmental engineering studies in Germany, Miriam worked in many different projects and countries: for example in West Africa as project manager for a 'Waste Water Master Plan' project, or in Mozambique for a 'Road rehabilitation programme', financed through international funding. After that, she went to France in order to manage a European research contrat (FP5) at the French National Engineering School on the topic of Stormwater management. Just before coming to the ILL, this year, she worked for a french competitiveness cluster on sustainable development, in order to enhance collaborative research projects between industries and research institutions.
Miriam will work closely together with Helmut Schober the coordinator of the NMI3 project, Robert McGReevy as dissemination coordinator and Ana Claver as information manager.
This is her message to all the people that will be involved in the FP7/NMI3 project:
'I really look forward to meet all the project participants and bring NMI3 and perhaps future projects forward. Don't hesitate to get in touch with me, I will do my best to support you and try to help you out in any problem on the administrative side of the FP7 contract.'
NEW BOOK PUBLISHED BY SPRINGER SURVEYS THE APPLICATIONS OF NEUTRON METHODS IN THE FIELDS OF EARTH, ENERGY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES.(27/01/09)
The new book entitled ‘Neutron Applications in Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences’ surveys the diversity of present day applications of neutron methods in the fields of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences. Introductions to neutron scattering fundamentals and instrumentation are paired with a thorough review of applications to a large variety of scientific and technological problems, written through the direct experience of leading scientists in each field.
Liang Liang from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Romano Rinaldi, from the Università di Perugia, and Helmut Schober from the Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France are the editors.
This volume is the first of the Springer books Series Neutron Scattering Applications and Techniques. The series include currently three titles (two to be published in 2009) and Its goal is to provide scientists and engineers with reference books which highlight the unique capabilities of neutron techniques to elucidate critical questions in established and emergent areas of science.
This publication is the outcome of the Symposium on Neutrons at the Frontier of Earth Sciences and Environment - NESE , one of a series of conferences organized jointly by European, American and Japanese scientific institutions with a strong affiliation to Neutron Scattering. The symposium, integrated into the General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union, was held in Vienna on April 2005.
FIRST ROUND OF THE NMI3 CALL FOR PROPOSALS LAUNCHED! Deadline for application is January 30th 2009
The first NMI3 call for proposal under FP7 to support schools and workshops on neutron scattering and muon spectroscopy is open now. This first call will support events to be held during the year 2009.
How, who, when and guidelines to apply on the NMI3 pages!
NMI3 READY TO GO AGAIN!
The Integrated Infrastructure Initiative for Neutron Scattering and Muon Spectroscopy is back again with FP7 support. The draft agreement has been signed for the 7th Framework Programme and the project is expected to start in February 2009. Due to cuts in the funding of NMI3 under FP7 a satisfactory ACCESS programme is currently only guaranteed for the years 2009 and 2010.
The NMI3/FP7 Launch Meeting will be held at the Paul Scherrer Institut PSI, Villigen, Switzerland from Monday 30 toTuesday 31 March 2009.
Registration is already OPEN!
20 YEARS PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SWITZERLAND AND THE INSTITUT LAUE-LANGEVIN ILL GRENOBLE
On November 28, 2008 the Swiss State Secretariat for Education and Research (SER) together with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) invited for a symposium to celebrate 20 years of partnership between Switzerland and the ILL Grenoble.
Paul-Erich Zinsli from the SER opened the Symposium and highlighted the importance of the international partnership wishing the cooperation between Switzerland and ILL all the best for future.
Joël Mesot, the newly appointed director of PSI, also welcomed the attendees and presented the Swiss multi-disciplinary research centre, with it's four large-scale research facilities (X-ray synchrotron, neutron and muon sources and meson factory). He emphasized on transference of technology, transfer as well as staff mobility programmes.
Richard Wagner, director of ILL, presented the view of the Institut Laue-Langevin. He pointed out how many Swiss experiments have been performed at ILL resulting in a total of almost 700 publications since 1988. Albert Furrer then gave a retrospective view on the early years and described the process to establish the agreement, the first scientific Council of the ILL with a Swiss member, the first form for research proposals and the first graduate student (Joel Mesot). He also presented three scientific highlights to illustrate the scientific collaboration. Jose Luis Martinez, the ILL associate director of projects and techniques division summarized the technical collaboration and presented the current status of the Millenium Programme and future plans of ILL. Roger Cowley from the University of Oxford and winner of the 2003 Walter Hälg Prize talked about his recent work on ‘Relaxor Ferroelectrics’ performed both at ILL and SINQ.
The second part of the symposium was opened by a welcome by Andrew Taylor on behalf of the ILL steering Committee. It was then continued by highly interesting scientific presentations given by P. Schurtenberger (Fribourg), C. Rüegg (London), B. Roessli and K. Kirch (both PSI).
Joel Mesot (PSI) and Richard Wagner (ILL) celebrate the anniversary.
Paul-Erich Zinsli, Richard Wagner, Joël Mesot, Jose Luis Martinez and Albert Furrer.
Click to enlarge.
Original pictures Copyright: Paul Scherrer Institut
ISIS SECOND TARGET STATION ON THE BBC NEWS (12/11/08)
By James Morgan Science reporter, BBC News
Super-microscope' opens at Isis The Second Target Station at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory is ready to go. The article is addressed to the general public and describes with striking and attractive examples, the advantages of the new Target station at ISIS and the potential of neutrons. A research highlight, the study of spider silks with neutron scattering, illustrates the exceptional capabilities of the TS2.
Read the article on the BBC Pages
NEUTRON NEWS - THE LAST 2008 ISSUE (02/11/08)
• Editorial by...Roger Pynn Educating other on Neutron Scattering ... we have a long way to go before all scientist, let alone the general public, understand what we do and why it is useful ....It's time for some new initiative in neutron scattering education, broadly defined .
• Meeting reports:
- India holds 'International Symposium on neutron scattering'. More of 200 participants from 15 countries, 48 invited talks, 90 contributed papers. - NMI3 meets for final time: ...sixth and final general meeting of the Integrated Infrastructure Initiative for Neutron Scattering and Muon Spectroscopy - FP6. Presentation of the work developed under the Joint Research Activities; Discussion on the reduction in funding for NMI3 in FP7; The baton for FP7 was duly passed on to Helmut Schober.
-Identifying and educating new neutron users: 40 invited participants (academicians, representatives from neutron sources, scientist, educational specialist and managers from government agencies) gathered in the Virginia countryside for two days at a workshop. The goal: to develop a roadmap for future neutron scattering education in the United States. Details can be found here • Correspondent's Report:
Activity of the Italian Neutron Scattering Community at the ILL
• Scientific reviews:
- BRISP: The New Brillouin Spectrometer at ILL's High Flux Reactor
- IN13 Backscattering Spectrometer at ILL: Looking for Motions in Biological Macromolecules and Organisms
- Real-Space Neutron Scattering without Collimation: SESANS at the Delft University of Technology
- Development of the Neutron Reflectometer OffSpec at the Delft University of Technology
- SMARTer for Materials Science and Biology Research
• Book Review
Reviews of 'Comptes Rendus Dossier': 11 articles on neutron scattering as a tool in condensed matted and related subjectsAuthor: Ted Forgan
• News and Reports:
-Hahn-Meitner -Institut renamed: HMI home of the BENSC (Berlin Neutron Scattering Centre) was renamed Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie. the name will be used in its German form only. There will be a common web portal for users of neutron and synchrotron radiation... -IBR-2 Modernization Continues
-International Conference on Neutron Scattering (ICNS 2009) announced. It will be held at the Knoxville Convention Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, from May 3 to 7, 2009.
-First neutrons at J-PARC: on May 30 2008 at 14:25 we finally got the first neutrons at J-Parc adter seven years of construction... -HFIR and SNS continue performance improvements: HIRF- new sample enclosure boxes, automatic sample changers and apertures on both SANS instruments...SNS progress continues on SNS instrument commissioning and capability development.... -Indian Neutron scattering society forms: (INSS).... with an objective to promote the research and development activities of neutron scattering science and applications...
Read more in this issue of the Neutron News The back page of the magazine is dedicate to the NMI3 people
ATTRACTING NEW SCIENTIFIC TALENT TO THE OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY (US) AND ITS NEUTRON SCIENCE PROGRAMS. (26/09/08) Seeking Applications for the Clifford G. Shull Fellowship Program at NScD, ORNL The Neutron Sciences Directorate of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory invites applications for the Clifford G. Shull Fellowship. The Shull fellowship provides an exciting opportunity to pursue research applying neutron scattering methods to forefront problems in physics, chemistry, biology or materials science and engineering. Applications for Shull fellowships commencing in 2009 are now being accepted, for full consideration ensure your application is submitted by December 12th,2008.
Qualifications:
Ph.D. minimum
No more than three years past completion of Ph.D.
Not currently occupying an ORNL postdoctoral position
ORNL is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to workforce
diversity; women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Applicants need not be U.S. citizens.
For more information, and to apply, go to
ORNL pages
FULL POWER AT THE ISIS SECOND TARGET STATION (19/09/08) Reported by Martyn Bull - ISIS Communications & Media
19 September 2008 16:30
Last night, another milestone was achieved at ISIS when both neutron targets were operated at full power for the first time. From 2215 on 18 September 2008, a 10 Hz beam was sustained onto the second target station for over 5 hours delivering 36 micro-amp proton beam current. At the same time 40 Hz beam was delivered to Target Station 1.
This historic moment represents the start of regular two target operations at ISIS. It was also the first time that solid methane moderators have been operated with such a high beam power anywhere in the world.
The sustained running allowed the target and moderator teams to confirm that the target station performance was in agreement with technical calculations. In addition, three anneals of the moderators were carried out to relieve radiation damage in the solid methane. Each took around 15 minutes to complete. Annealing the moderators regularly will be part of the normal operation of the second target station.
More information on this project visit the ISIS - TS2 pages
NEUTRON NEWS - THE THIRTH 2008 ISSUE (19/09/08)
• Editorial by...
... Joël Mesot: I am pleased to announce that Herma Büttner has agreed to become editor of Neutron News, effective immediately. ... Neutron News is an important source of information for our community.' ... and Herma Büttner: I find encouraging how the global neutron community is thriving. It shows that competition and collaboration are compatible...' • Meeting reports:
- Pulsed Advanced Neutron Sources - History and Steps to future: Dubna, Russia, February 2008.40 Students from Russian, Romanian and Vietnamese universities.
- J-Parc ready for first Beam: Mito Japan March 2008 - International Symposium on pulsed neutron and muon Science at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Center. ..participants coming form 15 countries.... J-Parc will start operation for users in December 2008.
- Korean and Japanese Neutron scientist meet in Kyoto: 8th Meeting on Neutron Science February 2008. Sixty participants....facility reports, new neutron techniques, neutron imaging techniques, industrial application of neutron scattering.
- International workshop held on Energy-selective neutron Imaging: April 2006. 40 leading international experts exchanged their knowledge about two promising topics: energy-dependent imaging with cold neutrons and the progress in fast neutron imaging.(Supported by NMi3).
• Correspondent's Report:
- SNS Power exceeds 300 kW.
• Scientific reviews:
- SNS Magnetism reflectometer
- The SNS Liquids Reflectometer
- Measured Spectral Brightness of the HFIR Supercritical Hydrogen Cold Source
- General Purpose Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Instrument on HFIR Oak Ridge
- BASIS: A New Backscattering Spectrometer at the SNS
• News and Reports:
- Formation of the Asia-Oceania Neutron scattering Association: AONSA. A major function will be to organize a neutron scattering meeting in the Asia-Oceania region every four years, starting in 2011. -NSSA Awards sustained research prize to Bates: Frank Bates is the recipient of the 2008 Sustained Research Prize of the Neutron Scattering Society of America. - Chen wins Clifford G. Shull Prize: ... of the Neutron Scattering Society of America - Lee wins NSSA science Prize.
- Walter E. Fischer (1939 - 2008): the pioneer in establishing the spallation neutron source SINQ - Igor Goncharenko (1965 - 2007) the work of Igor was widely recognized and appreciate amongst the international community both in neutron and high pressure science. - Quantum Explorer awarded top neutron Prize: Radu Coldea was awarded the B.T>M> Willis Prize for neutron scattering in recognition of his fundamental research into the quantum properties of novel materials.
Read more in this issue of the Neutron News The back page of the magazine is related to the Access Activities of the NMI3 project.
ESS INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD MEETING IN BILBAO AND DEBRECEN (03/09/08)
Reported by the ESS Cordination Center of the Hungarian Ministry for National Development and Economy IAB newsletter - Summary of the main events of the ESS International Advisory Board Meeting in Bilbao and Debrecen, 21-25 July, 2008.
Hungary and Spain are two of the competing three site candidates to host the European Spallation Source (ESS), one of the largest and most mature projects on the Roadmap of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI), endorsed by the Competitiveness Council of the European Union. These two countries intensively pursue their preparation to realize this most ambitious, world-leading project in creatively combining competition with close collaboration. It is within this framework that the constituting meeting of the common ESS International Advisory Board (IAB) took place on July 21-24 in Bilbao (Basque Country) and Debrecen (Eastern Hungary), in the two cities offering free of charge most adequate terrains larger than 1 km2 in outstanding research, academics, cultural, economic and quality of life environments to build ESS.
FIRST NEUTRONS CREATED AT THE ISIS SECOND TARGET STATION (03/08/08)
Reported by Martyn Bull - ISIS Communications & Media A world-leading UK science project switches on.
First neutrons measured at the ISIS Second Target Station Project: Sunday 3 August 2008 13:08 BST.
The UK's ISIS Second Target Station Project moved a major step closer to completion today when the first neutrons were created in the ISIS Second Target Station. After five years of planning and construction, the first neutrons were detected by the Inter instrument at 1308 BST. ISIS, the world-renowned neutron facility at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, is operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council.
"The first neutrons met all of our technical performance predictions and creating them is a significant milestone in the life of the facility and in the completion of the project," said Dr Andrew Taylor, Director of ISIS. "The Second Target Station builds on the success and expertise we have developed over the past 20 years at ISIS and allows us to move further into the areas of soft matter, advanced materials and bioscience. We will be carrying out fundamental research that will shape the technological advances of tomorrow."
"This is an incredible technical achievement by our staff and demonstrates how everyone can pull together and enable STFC to deliver massive science projects that underpin the long-term future of science and innovation in the UK," said Mr Peter Warry, Chairman of the Science and Technology Facilities Council.
"I'm very proud of every single person who has played a part in getting the ISIS Second Target Station project through to this very important milestone."
ISIS, a world leading centre for research in the physical and life sciences, uses neutrons to study materials at the atomic level with a suite of instruments, often described as 'super-microscopes'. By scattering neutrons off sample materials, scientists can visualise the positions and motions of atoms and make discoveries that have the potential to affect almost every aspect of our lives.
The ?145 million Second Target Station Project began construction in 2003. It will double the capacity and substantially increase the capability of the facilities already available at ISIS, which serves an international community of over 2,000 scientists.
All the links to current ESS information on the European Neutron Portal
BERLIN CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF NEUTRON RESEARCH (26/06/08)
In July 1958 the first research reactor at the Hahn Meitner - Institute became critical. This was the beginning of the Berlin neutron story. Now the Helmholtz Centre Berlin for Materials and Energy (recently renamed) will celebrate this 50 anniversary with a scientific symposium. A look to the past of research with neutrons at Berlin, a review of the present, and a view to the future will be presented. The Helmholtz Centre invites you to celebrate this event the days 14th and 15th of July at Berlin.
Reported by J-PARC Center MLF Division Director Yujiro Ikeda, JAPAN We are very pleased to inform you that we have recorded a memorial event of the first neutron production at J-PARC Materials & Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF) on May 30th, 2008. At 14:25, a shot of 3GeV protons from RCS (3 GeV synchrotron) was injected to the mercury target at MLF. Pulsed neutron beam extracted from the de-coupled moderator was detected by Li-glass detectors which were incorporated in the Current type Time-Of-Flight (CTOF) technique placed in the beam line of NOBORU (an instrument for neutron source characterization).
The first memorial neutron energy spectral intensity derived from the CTOF data is shown in the photograph. Please find on the JPARC Website, the incident proton beam profile recorded. Right after the first neutron production event, beams were introduced to four instruments consecutively to test the system performance.
It was a very quiet but exciting achievement of important J-PARC landmarks. The spectrum displayed on the monitor screen confirmed our achievement for 7 years challenge. Although the power of accelerator was still low as equivalent to only 4 kW, it was a calm and convincing departure to the J-PARC MW pulsed neutron source. All endeavor done by the MLF neutron team of JAEA and KEK, was rewarded by this historical moment.
In coming September, the first muon beam production is scheduled. By the end of October, 2008, more dedicated tests of the instruments are to be performed with more intense proton beam power. The first user experiment is planned to start from December, 15, 2008. To meet this schedule, the first call for proposal will be announced in July 7, 2008.
Photo courtesy of JPARC
OPAL REACTOR RETURNS TO FULL POWER (23/05/08) We are pleased to announce that the OPAL reactor came back to full power (20MW) today, and that the shutters on all seven instruments were opened for radiation survey. The cold-neutron source continues to run well. With the return to OPAL operations, commissioning of the seven initial instruments has resumed: ECHIDNA (high-resolution powder diffractometer), WOMBAT (high-intensity powder diffractometer), KOWARI (strain scanner), KOALA (quasi-Laue diffractometer), PLATYPUS (reflectometer), QUOKKA (small-angle neutron scattering instrument), TAIPAN (thermal three-axis spectrometer). For each instrument, we still need (a) operating licences from our nuclear regulator, ARPANSA, and (b) a published schedule from Reactor Operations at ANSTO, before we can invite users for experiments. Requests for operating licences on the powder diffractometers (ECHIDNA and WOMBAT) will be submitted within the next month, with the other submissions to follow, depending on our progress with commissioning.
During the last ten months of the OPAL shutdown, we have successfully tested most of the new sample-environment apparatus on the diffractometers.
Reported by Herma Buttner
Scientific Coordinator Bragg Institute
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
FIRST FULLY ELLIPTIC GUIDE DELIVERS 100 TIMES MORE FLUX (13/05/08)
A £1.5 million upgrade of the high-resolution powder diffractometer HRPD at ISIS has been outstandingly successful opening up new areas of science in chemistry, geology and new materials. Up to 100 times more neutron intensity is delivered by the new supermirror neutron guide installed over the 100 metres between the neutron source and the instrument. The concept of elliptic guides was developed as part of the Joint Research Activity JRA3 of the Integrated Infrastructure Initiative for Neutron Scattering and Muon Spectroscopy (NMI3) within the Eu 6th Framework Programme (FP6).
For more details see JRA3 pages including a report on the installation.
Reported by Peter Boni - JRA3 Coordinator
Photo Courtesy ISIS - Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK
ISIS AND DELFT CELEBRATE TOGETHER THE COMPLETION OF THE DELFT SPIN-ECHO PARTS FOR OFFSPEC (09/05/08)
OffSpec is one of the seven phase-1 instruments at the second target station of ISIS, UK, that will be operational in the beginning of 2008. It is a neutron reflectometer that will characterise the increasingly important area of in-plane interface structure using the spin-echo technique. Through delicate manipulation of polarised neutrons, small structures with sizes from 10-10000 nm can be examined in thin-film samples.
The instrument is designed in close collaboration between a team at ISIS and a team at the Reactor Institute Delft of the Delft University of Technology. The latter group is responsible for designing, building and commissioning the complicated time-of-flight spin-echo components for coding ultra-small angle scattering. One month before shipping these parts to England a mini-symposium was organized in Delft on April 21, 2008. Robert Dalgliesh, ISIS, presented the science case. He argued that probing in-plane structures down to 10 nm will provide new opportunities in a broad range of surface science ranging from liquid crystals and biological structures to magnetic domains and drug-delivery systems. Jeroen Plomp explained the technical realisation and showed that the flexible design facilitates five different modes of operation. Besides three different reflection options of probing in-plane structures, also spin-echo small-angle scattering and inelastic scattering are possible. On behalf of the ISIS management Robert McGreevy spoke a few nice words about the important role of smaller research reactors in general and of the Delft ingenuity in developing innovative neutron techniques in particular. After a visit to the experimental set up, the meeting was concluded with a few drinks to celebrate the successful cooperation.
Reported by Ad van Well, - head of Section NPM2, Delft University of Technology
ESS SCANDINAVIA'S NEW SCIENTIFIC ADVISORS (07/05/2008) Press release from ESS Scandinavia Wednesday 7 May 2008 New Scientific Advisors will shape the scientific tools of tomorrow ESS Scandinavia’s new Science Advisory Group has had its constituent meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday in Lund, Sweden. The Group will contribute to developing the science of the European Spallation Source in order that future researchers have maximum use of the ESS. Read the press release (PDF 0.243 MB)
NMI3/FP6 WILL END IN JUNE 2008 (11/04/08)
since 2004 ...
access to 12 research infrastructures
over 908 experiments
1808 unique users from 26 countries
more than 5000 days of access to facilities.
Joint research activities involving a total of 51 Partners,
23 Observers and 46 Countries.
Almost 37 tasks achived!
Revolutionary neutron instrument devices designed and built.
Networking activities - More than 400.000 euros devoted to training activities
Foresight studies.
A database of more than 120 neutron instruments in European centres
... and The European neutron and muon Portal; a ‘one stop shop’ for information regarding neutron scattering and muon spectroscopy...
Have a look at the NMI3 Overview Section
and the NMI3 Performace Indicators section
NEUTRON AND MUON INTEGRATED INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE PROPOSAL SUBMITTED FOR THE NEXT EC FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME, FP7.(11/04/08)
A proposal for an "Integrated Infrastructure Initiative for Neutron Scattering and Muon Spectroscopy" has been submitted to the next EC framework programme, FP7. If approved, the project is scheduled to start in Jan 2009.
NMI3 comprehensively includes all major facilities in the field, opening the way for a more concerted, and thus more efficient, use of the existing infrastructure. Co-ordination and networking within NMI3 will lead to a more strategic approach to future developments and thus reinforce European competitiveness in this area.
NMI3 is a consortium of 22 partners from 13 countries, including 10 research infrastructures. The objective of integration will be achieved by using several tools.
6 international collaborations between facilities, universities and other laboratories, with the aims of improving techniques, instrumentation and simulations for neutron and muon facilities (Joint Research Activities). The six Joint Research Activities are constructed around targeted areas with high potential impact on the infrastructure development:
- Neutron optics: increasing the luminosity of spectrometers through neutron optics and focussing thermal neutrons
- Deuteration: deuteration labelling of biological molecules will widen the access of neutron scattering to biologists, by extending the range of problems that can be tackled.
- Polarized Neutrons: Further developing lamour labelling methods and developing wide-angle polarization analysis for neutron diffraction/spectroscopy.
- Detectors: developing novel detector technologies for single crystal diffraction.
- Sample Environment: developing novel sample environments in three key areas: high pressure gas cells, ultra high temperature furnaces and gas handling systems.
- Muons: addressing all aspects of muon instrument design, including new instruments operating at magnetic fields of up to 10T, detector technologies and array designs, technologies at high pressures and simulation modelling, both of instrument design and experiments.
Transnational access will allow European researchers to choose the best-suited instrument and facility for pursuing their scientific questions. It will give access to the most advanced instruments at new innovative European infrastructures e.g. the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science based at FRM-II in Munich, Germany and from October 2008, the ISIS second target station instruments in Oxfordshire, UK.
The networking activities will help to bring the community together and inform both existing and potential users of the new developments and opportunities at the European facilities through:
- the neutron and muon web portal: Particular emphasis will be given to providing documentation. We will develop a complete set of teaching materials including multi-media and on-line virtual experiments.
- Support for schools and workshops to train potential and current users
- Foresight studies to develop and extend the field of neutron scattering.
BREAKTHROUGH IN THE SITING OF THE ESS: DENMARK BECOMES FIRST COUNTRY TO FORMALLY SUPPORT SWEDEN (10/04/08)
Press release from ESS-Scandinavia Monday, 07 April 2008.
Colin Carlile, Head of the ESS Scandinavia Secretariat in Lund, welcomes the decision of the Danish Government to enter into negotiations with Sweden on the possible co-hosting of the European Spallation Source being planned for Lund, Sweden. The statement was announced earlier today by the Danish Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr Helge Sander.
• Editorial by Robert McGreevy - Neutron Scattering: in need of a new paradigm?...we need to spend more effort on ensuring that experimental neutron results are quantitatively and consistently accurate...we need to invest far more in modern software that fully exploits this data on a real-time basis • Meeting reports:
-The firs US - China Workshop on Neutron Science and Technology more than 150 participants comprising senior scientists and program/facility directors from major neutron facilities...CARR , the China Advanced Research Reactor, is currently under construction in Beijing .... CSNS is an ISIS like spallation source ... it will be a national user facility to be built in the Guangdong Providence... - Neutrons and Gran Challenges: an international meeting held in Xian, China Nanoscience, Energy Research and Computation... more than 30 scientist from Australia, Germany, Japan, and the United States...November 2006 - International Workshop on Scattering from Liquid - liquid interfaces ... in June 2007 25 participants... complementarity of x-ray and neutrons was stressed...discussions of very high quality with proposals for the future: a newsgroup or liquid-liquid interface Web site...a future workshop ... - Matter matters: ISIS Exhibits at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2007: What color are neutrons? Is magnetic glue sticky? How do you play atomic snookers? further information can be found at www.summerscience.org.uk - ICN2007 Meets in Serpong and Bandung: the international Conference on Neutron Scattering and X- Ray Scattering focused in material science and biology....70 participants including nine young scientist from aboard... ICNX009 planned for Malaysia. - Forty years of the Oxford Neutron School: By Terry Willis. the scope of the school has been extended to take in the increasing interests today of chemists, biologists and engineers. - JCNS holds 11th Laboratory course on Neutron scattering:It was different from the preceding courses, lectures at Forschungzentrum Juelich and experiments were carried out at the reactor FRM II in Garching close to Munich. The course was supported by NMI3. This funding has been granted every year since 2000 and is of major importance to enable the participation of foreign students by paying their travel expenses.... in addition we acknowledge support by SoftComp - The 15th annual meeting of SFN: Vineyards, Fresh Water and Neutrons: Journées de la Diffusion Neutronique... May 2007 ... more than a hundred participants....SFN pHD prize to N. Malikova (LLb) for her work on the dynamics of water molecules and ions.... • Scientific reviews:
-Efficiency boost of the material science diffractometer E3 at BENCS.
- Introducing the Time-of- Flight Backscattering Instrument MARS at SINQ.
- More about total Scattering cross-sections and a related common misconception.
• News and Reports:
- SNS Power ramp-up continues - the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Rigde National Laboratory operated at 183 kilowatts and surpassed the precious record for beam power of a pulsed spallation source.... - Australian animals on their marks for neutrons Exhidna, Koala, Kowari, Quokka, Platypus, Taipan and Wombat; a suite of seven neutron =-beam instruments, all named after native Australian animals will be made available at the new OPAL reactor at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology organization - Protons on Target at ISIS second Target station!: December 2007. Protons were successfully extracted into the new proton transfer beam-line from the existing ISIS accelerator and delivered to the new target station... we are expecting our first neutrons in June 2008 - Neutron Guide Hall inaugurated at FRMII on May 2007, a new building...first neutrons to be in the new guide hall east by the end of 2009.
Read more in this issue of the Neutron News The back page of the magazine is related to the Muon Activities of the NMI3 project.
THE ESF / ENSA SURVEY 2005 OF THE NEUTRON SCATTERING COMMUNITY IN EUROPE (21/02/08)
The ESF/ENSA survey 2005 is now published. The document analyzes the European neutron scattering community by scientific discipline and by type of research conducted; It examines the usage of existing installations, presenting the beam usage by source, by instrument type and by sample environment; And finally it reveals user-subjective criteria for the choice of the neutron source, the requirements for additional beamtime at existing sources, and the research on next generation high flux sources.
The present ENSA survey, again commissioned by
the European Science Foundation (ESF), was undertaken
in order to evaluate how the community and its
expectations have evolved over the almost 10-year period
that has passed since the previous survey [ ...
The main conclusions are that the community is
sustained, active, ambitious and – a point to be stressed –
ready and prepared to use a next generation neutron
source with a clear promise of new science associated
with the superior capacities offered by such an infrastructure.
An electronic version of this report can be found at: ENSA pages and soon at
ESF pages
THE NEUTRON SCATTERING SOCIETY OF AMERICA ANNOUNCES 2008 PRIZE RECIPIENTS (12/02/08)
Prof. Sow-Hsin Chen is the recipient of the 2008 Clifford G. Shull Prize of the Neutron Scattering Society of America with the citation:
For seminal contributions to understanding the dynamical properties of supercooled and interfacial water using neutron scattering techniques, and for an exceptional record of training young scientists in the use of scattering techniques to solve topical interdisciplinary problems in complex fluids and soft matter.” news on the MIT Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering
Prof. Frank Bates is the recipient of the 2008 Sustained Research Prize of the Neutron Scattering Society of America with the citation:
“For his pioneering SANS experiments that probe the structure and thermodynamics of polymeric fluids and block copolymers.”
Prof. Seung-Hun Lee is the recipient of the 2008 Science Prize of the Neutron Scattering Society of America with the citation:
“For his innovative and insightful neutron scattering studies of frustrated magnetic systems”.
PROCEEDINGS OF 4TH ECNS PUBLISHED (04/02/08) Papers that arise from the 4th European Conference on Neutron Scattering, held in Lund Sweden between 25 & 29 June 2007 are being published in two parts. Those articles that describe instrumentation and techniques of neutron scattering appear in Measurement Science and Technology. These are now available on-line and will be printed as the March issue of the Journal.
There is free access for 30 days after on-line publication.
The articles can be found at: iop Journals
More papers will appear soon in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter.
Reported by Adrian Rennie
Dept. of Physics & Materials Science, Uppsala University
DISCOVERY OF NOVEL VORTEX STRUCTURE IN A MAGNETICALLY-INDUCED SUPERCONDUCTOR (29/01/08)
Using the Swiss spallation neutron source (SINQ) at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), an international research team has established that a magnetic field can interact with the electrons in a superconductor in ways never observed before. When they cooled a single-crystalline sample of CeCoIn5 down to 50mK above absolute zero and applied a magnetic field nearly high enough to suppress superconductivity, they not only observed a regular lattice of quantized supercurrents (so called vortices), but they also found that the core of the vortices contains electronic spins that are partly aligned with the magnetic field. The existence of the observed novel types of vortices is related to the magnetic coupling mechanism that leads to the superconducting condensate in many technologically interesting materials including the high temperature superconductors.
- The discovery team.
The team consists of physicists at the University of Montreal, ETH Zurich, Paul Scherrer Institute, University of Notre Dame, University of Birmingham, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Brookhaven National Laboratory. All the experiments were performed at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland. The findings are published on 14 January in the journal Science.
The NMI3 access activities programme allowed the group from the University of Birmingham to come to the experiments. NMI3 Access Activities allow scientists working in an EU member country or associated to apply for beam time at one of the NMI3 participating facilities. If the proposal is approved the user group can receive travel and subsistence support from the facility.
- The discovery.
This is the first experimental evidence that a theory that describes the properties of superconducting vortices and for which Abrikosov and Ginzburg received the Nobel Prize in 2003 does not generally apply in magnetically-induced superconductors and has to be extended to include the field dependence of the quantum correlations of the Cooper pair.
This discovery has brought physicists one step closer to get to grips with superconductivity at high temperatures, said Prof. Andrea D. Bianchi, who was recruited from Switzerland to the University of Montreal last fall and is lead author of the paper.
Until now, physicists were going around in circles. This discovery in a clean superconductor is unambiguous, and it is a big boost towards the understanding of unconventional superconductivity.
Furthermore, Bianchi explains:
When subjected to intense magnetic fields, these materials produce violently tornado-like twisting columns that grow ever stronger with increasing fields rather than weaken as in all previously investigated materials.
- Superconductors and its technological applications.
Superconductors hold the highest promise for technogical applications that may change how modern civilization relates to energy storage and transmission - arguably one of the most pressing challenges today. Other notable applications include superconducting digital filters for high-speed communications, more efficient and reliable generators and motors, and superconducting device applications in medical magnetic resonance imaging machines, a technique that is also indispensable for the discovery of new drugs.
- Neutron tools for science.
Significant advances in the materials characterization tools that are now available at modern accelerators are crucial.
Advanced neutron scattering technology combined with the unique capability to apply high horizontal fields at very low temperatures have made these crucial insights possible, said Dr. Markus Zolliker, responsible of the sample environment capabilities at SINQ.
Neutrons act as flying magnetometers that penetrate the material in a non-destructive way, diffract coherently and are then detected in a neutron detectors up to 20 m away. Analyzing the diffraction images, we can directly see magnetic fields inside the superconducting phase.
Prof. Bianchi describes superconductivity as a hard science - akin to scaling the highest mountain peaks in his native Switzerland.
Exploring hard questions, such as superconductivity, is necessary to advance society, he said. Without answering hard questions like these, there can be no progress.
Reported by Prof. Dr. Kenzelmann
-Towards an understanding of high-temperature superconductors.
The first superconductor was discovered nearly a hundred years ago, and in most materials this curious state with no resistance was shown to arise from a phonon-mediated coupling of electrons. Paired electrons behave like bosons and can undergo a transition to a condensate that is quantum coherent over long length scales and thus has no resistance to transport electrons. This is similar to the Bose condensation in cold gases or quantum fluids such as Helium 4. The problem is that for most applications, the materials have to be superconducting at relatively high temperatures. The present
understanding of phonon-mediated superconductors suggests that phonon-mediated mechanisms cannot never yield superconductivity at high enough temperatures to be useful for applications. But there is hope: there are superconductors where the pairing mechanism is mediated by magnetic fluctuations whose energy scale can be substantially higher than that of phonons, and so may be the temperature where the material becomes superconducting.
Prof. Kenzelmann from ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute says that the study demonstrates a fundamental link between magnetism and superconductivity:
Our observation provides a fresh perspective of the exotic properties of magnetically-mediated superconductors.
The understanding and design of high-temperature superconductors has been a challenge. This is because all known high-temperature superconductors are very complex materials that combine disorder, magnetic and electronic fluctuations and are therefore difficult to model. Materials like CeCoIn5 can provide fresh insight because they are clean and relatively simple magnetically-mediated superconductors where the relevant physics can be studied in a controlled environment.
SPAIN AND HUNGARY REINFORCE THEIR CANDIDATURES TO HOST THE EUROPEAN SPALLATION SOURCE (28/01/08) Spanish Ministry of Education and Science. Press release - 24.01.2008 More than 20 countries attend today the presentation in Brussels
A Collaboration Agreement on the European Spallation Source (ESS) has been launched today by the ESS-Bilbao Consortium — participated by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science and the Basque Country Regional Government — and the ESS-Hungary Consortium, led by the Hungarian Ministry of Economy and Transport.
Both Spain and Hungary, while competing to host the Source, have come together to catalyze the process of establishing and building the European Spallation Source as defined in the Road-map of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI). The agreement combines resources and coordinates activities in such a way that the initial phase of the project can be advanced more effectively and does it in a manner in which both parties benefit from the collaboration.
The agreement has been presented to the International Community this morning in Brussels in a Joint Round Table chaired by the Spanish Secretary of State of Universities and Research, Prof. Miguel Ángel Quintanilla, and the Hungarian Secretary of State for Economic Development, Mr. Géza Egyed. The meeting has been attended by the partcipating countries and the European Comission concerned with the ESS.
INTERVIEW WITH JEFFREY PENFOLD THE WINNER OF THE 2007 WALTER HAELG PRIZE (03/10/07)
Professor Jeffrey Penfold (Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, UK) is the winner the 2007 Hälg Prize of the European Neutron Scattering Association, in recognition of his ground breaking work on neutron reflection which he developed as an invaluable tool in colloid and interface science.
- Your work in four easy words:
I use neutron scattering techniques as a tool to investigate the behaviour of surfactants (detergents), surfactant mixtures, and surfactant / polymer mixtures at surfaces and interfaces, and the nature of their self-assembly in solution. Over the past 20 or so years I have had strong links with the home and personal care industry, which has sponsored much of my research, and so much of what I do relates directly to the performance of home and personal care products (detergents, shampoos, conditioners etc).
- Your opinion as expert:
How neutrons meets the needs of industry?
Having worked closely with industry (home and personal care sector mainly) for ~ 20 years I am well placed to comment. It does require a close relationship with industry, such that they can appreciate what neutron scattering has to offer them, and for us to understand the nature and context of their problems. I have been directly involved in a number of areas where neutron scattering has made a direct and quantifiable impact upon product formulation and processing. How to incentivate the use of neutrons in Biology?
I believe that there is a great potential for applying neutron scattering to a wide range of problems in biology. The areas of applicability have to be carefully identified and realistic goals set (it is important not to overstate what can be achieved, or to try to compete in areas where other techniques are more applicable). Again a closer dialogue with biologists is needed in order to more fully understand where neutron scattering can contribute and to overcome the barriers associated with our different jargons and cultures.
- Your dedication to work:
I think that I would best be described as ‘driven’, and so I do work hard, but not excessively so. I enjoy what I do so much that I am a reluctant holiday taker (ask my family!). Not that i dislike holidays, on the contrary, but I also enjoy research.
- Your hobbies:
With a relatively young family and a job which is really a hobby there has been little time for much else. However, I have recently resurrected my interest in painting (watercolours), as before starting a career in science I had intended to go to art school.
INTERVIEW WITH HENRIK M. RØNNOW, THE WINNER OF THE 2007 ERWIN FELIX LEWY BERTAUT PRIZE (21/09/07)
Lund, June 2007.
Henrik M.Rønnow is the winner of the Lewy-Bertaut prize of the European Crystallographic Association and European Neutron Scattering Association. We met him in Lund, Sweden, at the European Conference on Neutron Scattering, where he received the award in the ceremony that took place on 28 of June. He presented a talk entitled "Blue crystal magnetism - neutrons in the quasiparticle zoo"
- Your work in four easy words:
I use neutron scattering to study magnetic materials. In particular materials where the magnetic properties are governed by the so called law of quant mechanics, which are in some way different from the classical laws that we know. That’s why it is complicated and we need to study it. What we do with neutrons is to take a beam of neutrons and shoot them at our sample. Then we look in what directions they get scattered and basically by seeing what directions they get scattered, we get an idea of how the system looks inside. In the same way as if you shoot a billiard ball into a triangle billiard balls, you can see in the way they get scattered out.
- Your opinion as neutron young scientist: how to bring new users in the "neutron world"?
It will actually only work if someone goes to their field and really works with them to do the first experiments. Because if you just advertise it and say: look, you can come into this but it does require to you to learn a complete new technique, and there is no example of the fact that this is actually successful. That’s a very large barrier to a scientist. He has techniques that already work and he needs a motivation to go on and to use a new technique. It is the same for us as neutron scatters. We need a reason to do other techniques and that reason is that there has to be somebody to demonstrate that this is good. I think that’s the only way of bringing people in.
- Your dedication to work:
I get awake at 6 in the morning and I come home at six to take our son from the nanny. And I usually work one hour or two around midnight. I work twelve to fourteen hours a day. Time is certainly our biggest problem.
-Your age:
I am thirty three years old.
- The sages say that there are three things a person ought to do in life: plant a tree, have a child, and write a book...
Did you plant a tree?
I planted a forest once! Did you wrote a book?
I have not written a book
... but he has published over fifty papers with a high impact factor, in sixteen different prestigious journals, in less than ten years ...
"Henrik M. Rønnow has a brilliant track record that illustrates a truly successful career of a young European scientist." (As it is said in the Lewy-Bertaut prize announce)
THE 4th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON NEUTRON SCATTERING AT LUND (18/07/07)
ECNS 2007: The fourth of a series of successful meetings organised by the European Neutron Scattering Association. ECNS is held every four years. It was held in Interlaken in 1996, Budapest in 1999, Montpellier in 2003 and this year in Lund from Monday 25 to Friday 29 June 2007. The next will be in Prague in 2011.
• A multidisciplinary meeting with scientists from a wide range of disciplines: physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, ...
• An important gathering of the neutron research community with:
around 700 participants from Europe and the rest of the world.
8 plenary lectures
23 presentations
600 posters across three poster sessions
17 exhibitors with products of interest to the neutron scattering community
8 satellite meetings
• Interesting papers and posters about:
- the main neutron applications: magnetism, soft matter, chemical structure, life sciences ...
- the emerging uses: cultural heritage, environment ...
- new instrumentation
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Supported by the EU through FP5, FP6 and FP7