Background
Muons are a valuable and versatile probe of condensed matter, acting as microscopic magnetometers to enable investigation of structure and dynamics at the atomic level. Applications of the μSR (muon spin rotation / relaxation / resonance) technique include investigation of magnetic, superconducting, semiconducting, molecular, ionic, metallic and gaseous systems.

The aim of this school is to provide a practical hands-on training course for young researchers on the spectroscopic techniques using muons as probes in condensed matter research. The ISIS Pulsed Neutron and Muon 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. ISIS has previously run four muon spectroscopy training schools (1994, 2003, 2005 and 2008), which have provided students with firsthand practical experience of running a μSR experiment, together with the background knowledge required to understand the technique’s principles. The goal of the training schools was to provide researchers near the start of their careers with the skills necessary to take the maximum benefit from future facility time, to provide young researchers with valuable experience of working at a large, international facility and to improve knowledge in related fields such as computing and cryogenics.

Plan of the 2010 Muon Spectroscopy Training School
The training school will run for five days and consist of lectures in the muon technique to complement experiments using the four muon spectrometers at ISIS; each participant will have the chance to perform two different experiments. The Training School will be run by Muon Facility staff, who between them have over one hundred years of experience of experimental work using muons, together with external researchers who are experts in their respective fields of condensed matter investigations. External lecturers for the 2008 training school include Prof. S. Blundell (Oxford), Prof. P. Carretta (Pavia), Prof. R. Cywinski (Huddersfield), Prof. R. De Renzi (Parma), Prof. S. Kilcoyne (Salford) and Dr. Th. Prokscha (PSI) and we anticipate that the lecturers for the 2010 training school will be of similar renown. Full notes will accompany the lectures and practical work and these will be posted on line.

Participants and ISIS Muon Group staff at the 2008 training school.


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