Many of you might know me as the software to handle your proposal at the MLZ and to organize beam times. Using artificial intelligence, I recently have overcome the barrier of being jailed in the user office, now floating around and picking up news for my beloved users. As I distribute this News Letter, I found a way to put me on the cover page, replacing the a little bit outdated editorial.

Still impressed by the numerous participants at the user meeting at the end of last year, I am highly motivated to come back to you with a fresh and updated version. Even my pronounced conceitedness says to me that I am properly working, Ina and her co-workers are constantly screwing on my algorithms. I will try to understand what they are doing and report here on any News.

This year has started with a new science director at the FRM II and MLZ. Christian Pfleiderer, formerly known as the chair behind the instrument RESEDA, has taken over the position and was already visible at the user meeting in December. Picking up some corridor conversation, a fresh and substantial wind of change seems to path along the institute. On the other hand, it’s not only me that is missing our users. The entire staff struggles to bring the machine back into operation, even though it will take until the end of this year before our bright neutron beams can shed light on your fascinating research questions.

I already mentioned my conceitedness, which was raised even more during the DPG spring meeting in Berlin. So many young researchers were interested in me and took my business card from the MLZ booth. Let’s keep in contact!

The Ghost

We want to update you on the ongoing work at the FRM II. As you all know, significant challenges must be overcome before returning to routine operations. Our major projects are the replacement of the central channel and the fabrication of a new cold source.

Substantial progress could already be achieved in the manufacturing of the components of the central channel. However, the ambitious timeline to come back into user operation this year has become very unlikely. The central channel’s installation is scheduled for the end of August 2024 – but we need to have it first! The work required to normalize the systems, recurring tests, and special commissioning tests following the replacement is expected to occur by the end of 2024. The scientific operation may be scheduled to start at the beginning of 2025.

The manufacturer of the cold source has been pursuing the construction of the in-pile part of the cold source with vigor. All essential raw materials and components have been procured either by or with substantial assistance from the staff of FRM II. The preliminary tests required to produce qualified weld joints are being carried out, and the necessary documentation and administrative steps are being prepared, supported strongly by the staff of FRM II. Following the completion of the ongoing preparations for the certification of all work steps, a detailed timeline of the production and installation of the cold source is possible. It will be communicated in the following newsletter.

Axel Pichlmaier (Technical Director FRM II)

Read the latest news regarding our MORIS program!

Instruments and infrastructure in the Neutron Guide Hall East are in the final installation phase before being commissioned with neutrons in the second half of 2024.

Our resonance spin echo spectrometer RESEDA made a trip to Switzerland, and it was an adventure!

In collaboration with Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), our detector group designed and built two innovative neutron detectors.

This year’s JCNS Workshop focused on future instrumentation at pulsed sources.

After the summer break, everybody returned fresh and motivated; thus, our data evaluation workshops were fully booked!

The annual JCNS LabCourse celebrated its 25th birthday last year. It is always great to meet our future users!

Between Nov 06th and 08th, 27 participants dived deeply into texture analysis in the scope of this school at MLZ.

From November 21st to 24th, 2023, more than 80 internationally renowned scientists met at the Pinakothek der Moderne to discuss the benefits of synchrotron radiation and neutrons for art and archaeology.

This time, we welcome new GNeuS fellows, an instrument scientist at POLI, and a PostDoc at PGAA!

On Sept 13th, 2023, our colleague and friend Marie-Sousai Appavou passed away suddenly. He will always be remembered as an excellent scientist and an exceptionally dedicated and compassionate person.

Since November 2023, Astrid Schneidewind from Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH has been the newly elected chair of the European Neutron Scattering Association (ENSA), representing 8000 neutron users from 21 countries.

This time, a lot of snow in Germany makes the MLZ Users 2023 a meeting to remember…

The MLZ is grateful that all MLZ User Committee members agreed to prolong their appointment until mid-2025 in order to support the restart!

There are some deadlines ahead:

MLZ Conference 2024: Neutrons for Energy Storage

• June 04th-07th, 2024
• Schloss Fürstenried, Munich, Germany
• abstract deadline: April 15th, 2024

German Conference on Neutron Scattering 2024

• Sept 16th-18th, 2024
• Aachen, Germany
• abstract deadline: June 01st, 2024
• registration deadline: Sept 01st, 2024

JCNS Workshop 2024 Trends and Perspectives in Neutron Scattering: Functional Interfaces

• Oct 08th-11th, 2024
• Tutzing, Germany
• abstract deadline: June 30th, 2024
• registration deadline: Sept 20th, 2024

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NEUTRON SCHOOLS AT MLZ

MATRAC 2 School – Application of Neutrons and Synchrotron Radiation in Materials Science with special focus on Fundamental Aspects of Materials

• Sept 02nd-05th, 2024 – Ammersee & Garching
• organised by hereon
• registration deadline: April 15th, 2024

Laboratory Course Neutron Scattering

• Sept 02nd-13th, 2024 – Jülich & Garching
• organised by Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
• registration deadline: May 21st, 2024

Whether you participated in the ECNS 2023 at Garching in March or not – enjoy reading the proceedings, chosen as EPJ Web of Conferences Highlight!

The weekly joint MLZ and TUM Physics Department lecture series “Neutrons in Research and Industry” continues in a hybrid format. Talks are announced in the events section of our web page.