News

Since the end of February, Prof. Dr. Stephan Förster, Forschungszentrum Jülich, has been appointed as director at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum. He succeeds Prof. Dr. Thomas Brückel.

The participants in this year’s Edgar Lüscher Seminar at the Gymnasium Zwiesel, Bavarian Forest, got an update of pioneering research work. The scientific heads of the seminar, Prof. Dr. Winfried Petry and Prof. Dr. Peter Müller-Buschbaum from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), had invited renowned speakers to give talks to the teachers in the school in Zwiesel.

Quantum spin liquids represent a novel state of matter in which the spins do not arrange themselves in an ordered pattern as they do in a conventional magnet. This state features spins with long-range entanglements and fractional excitations, and thus can find applications in quantum computation and communication.

The Norwegian Research Council granted 2 million Kroner for a Post-Doc position to design a sample holder for Li-ion coin cell batteries, which can be charged and discharged while measuring with neutrons.

For the German Conference for Research with Synchroton Radiation, Neutrons and Ion Beams at Large Facilities (SNI 2018) at MLZ, abstracts can be submitted until 11 May. The conference will take place in Garching from 17 until 19 September 2018.

An international team of researchers has discovered functional electronic interfaces in quantum materials that can spontaneously self-assemble.

The world’s highest-performance neutron source for research, FRM II of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), will have a new Scientific Director as of April 1st. With the appointment of Professor Peter Müller-Buschbaum, an internationally renowned researcher has been appointed to succeed Winfried Petry.

Lithium-ion batteries are an indispensable part of our daily lives. The negative electrodes are typically based on graphite. However, they have some problems, such as the so-called lithium plating. Now there is an electrode material that is not based on graphite and does not show these disadvantages: sodium hexatitanate.

Developers from Bosch and scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are using neutrons to analyze the filling of lithium ion batteries for hybrid cars with electrolytes. Their experiments show that electrodes are wetted twice as fast in a vacuum as under normal pressure.

It is already known that dinosaurs lay eggs. The fact that the offspring of the same mother hatch at different times from the eggs, was observed so far only in modern birds. For the first time, measurements at FRM II could prove that already their ancestors, the dinosaurs, hatched asynchronously.

Researchers from MLZ (Forschungszentrum Jülich) have investigated the crystallization of the protein lysozyme in an experiment at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL). They focused on conditions known to result in the formation of particularly large crystals, suitable for use in high-resolution neutron protein crystallography.

Christoph Göbel, district administrator of the district of Munich (4th from left), and some executives visited the FRM II and faced up to a group photo in the reactor hall.

Magnetic skyrmions can potentially store information in a higher density than today’s data carriers. Since their discovery using neutrons at the FRM II in 2009, research on magnetic skyrmions is booming. For the first time, physicists of the Technical University of Munich have used a specially adapted imaging technique at the MLZ in order to clarify exactly how and where the magnetic vortex structure of the skyrmion lattice forms in extended bulk samples.

Dr. Harald Breitkreutz will give a lecture under this title at Deutsches Museum on February 14th at 7 pm as part of the series “Science for Everyone”.

Armin Kriele from the Helmholtz Center Geesthacht has something in common with the famous inventor of Walt Disney: Both make inventions for the joy of working. Kriele is responsible for the Materials Science Laboratory at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Center and has a lot to do with batteries of all kinds. For their detailed analysis, he has now made an invention and applied for a patent.

During the several-hour tour, Josef Hauner was enthusiastic about the many applications of Garching’s neutrons in medicine, industry and research: “It was very instructive and exciting,” he said. The visit was conducted by the Manfred Danner, who is fire district counselor of the Freising district and full-time deputy shift supervisor and reactor driver at FRM II.

Ismail Zöybek, who works at FRM II in the light water systems group, has received a personal thank-you letter from the Minister of State, Ludwig Spaenle. How did he come to the honor of such a letter from the Bavarian State Ministry for Education and Culture, Science and Art?

Several new projects in the research neutron source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz will influence the research and the application of neutrons. Three out of these projects are topics in the programme “Münchner Stadtrundgang” of the local tv broadcast muenchen.tv.

The usual methods to define the structure of proteins do not work with membrane proteins. Scientists from the Jülich Centre of Neutron Science have now found a new neutron method to determine the structure of membrane proteins with a resolution of 1-2 nm.

CsCuCl₃ crystallizes in a right and left form. Under normal conditions, it is impossible to separate these two so-called chiral forms and to obtain a crystal with a purely right or purely left atomic arrangement. The Japanese scientist Dr. Yusuke Kousaka has not only managed to grow pure monochiral crystals, but also to prove the direct correlation between crystalline and magnetic chirality with polarized neutrons at the single-crystal diffractometer POLI.

The transregional collaborative research center TRR 80 “From electronic correlations to functionality” successfully enters the third funding period. The German Research Foundation DFG will continue to support the consortium of the University of Augsburg and the Technical University of Munich with another 8.8 million euros for the next four years. Five projects are mainly carried out at the research neutron source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II).

Cloppenburg is a city in Lower Saxony and therefore namesake for a strange stone, which was there already found in March 2017. Experts from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) were able to confirm beyond doubt that this is a piece of meteorite from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

There will also be art at or in the new twin buildings on the grounds of the FRM II, for which the groundbreaking ceremony took place in February 2017. From 4 to 8 December, the submitted six proposals for this art can be viewed in the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS). Room 0 is to the right of the main entrance and open daily from 8am to 4pm.

Drugs can alter the structure of cell membranes. This in turn can affect their function and cause undesirable side effects. The structural changes in cell membranes caused by drugs have not yet been sufficiently investigated. Researchers from Jülich, Garching (near Munich), Georgia, and France now want to change this. They have developed a new neutron research method which enables deformations of the membranes to be detected faster and more easily than previous methods.

A Chinese research group led by Prof. Jun Zhao at Fudan University found the twisted magnetic excitations in the new Fe-based superconductor Li0.8Fe0.2ODFeSe from a neutron scattering experiment on PUMA, MLZ and Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United State. This finding provides one step further in understanding of the mechanism in high temperature superconductivity.

The National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), Argentina is currently building a new 30MW multi-functional reactor in Buenos Aires, scheduled to go into operation at the beginning of the next decade. The need for radioisotopes is also growing in Argentina, so their production is a major purpose of the new neutron source.

On October 31, 1957, the Munich research reactor FRM went online for the first time. Until 2000, the “Atomic Egg” of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) was a reliable provider of neutrons for basic research and medical applications. This year the facility is celebrating its 60th birthday with a special exhibition.

Fully booked guided tours, crowded info booths and great interest in the special exhibition on the Atomic Egg – this is the conclusion of the Open House Day at the Research Neutron Source.

This year, the annual JCNS Workshop addressed the issue of “Trends and Perspectives in Neutron Scattering: Probing Structure and Dynamics at Interfaces and Surfaces”. Held at the Evangelische Akademie in Tutzing on Lake Starnberg, south of Munich, from 10-13 October, more than 70 participants were in attendance to discuss recent developments and scientific challenges in interface structure and dynamics in soft matter, magnetism and condensed matter systems.

A series of events is planned this year for the 60th anniversary of neutron research in Garching: The photo exhibition in the Garching subway is now to be seen until October 10th. From November 7th to December 3rd 2017 the photos will be hung in a special exhibition of the museum “Reich der Kristalle” in Munich. Finally, on the open door day, there will be a special exhibition to the so called “Atomic Egg” in the gate building.

Worldwide, more than 30 million medical examinations are conducted annually with the radioactive substance technetium-99m. The mother isotope molybdenum-99 can only be produced in research neutron sources. A new film shows the status of the upgrading at the FRM II towards the production of molybdenum-99.

In May / June the neutron users in Germany elected their representatives, the 11th committee Forschung mit Neutronen (KFN). A total of 15 candidates threw their hats in the ring and since 18.9. 2017 Astrid Schneidewind (FZ Jülich) is the new KFN chairman. Markus Braden (University of Cologne) is the new deputy chairman and is also responsible for the topics of infrastructure and instrumentation.

Mushroom pickers never reveal their places of discovery and neither for Dr. Matthias Rossbach. Instead, they have sent him the dried mushrooms they collected in Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Brandenburg, for scientific research.

Fans of crime stories know: If the dentition of an unknown victim can be compared with a tooth scheme, the identity is soon clarified with this information. Similarly, the paleontologist study teeth as they contain a lot of essential biological information, representing a kind of “black box” of the life of a past individual. However, these information are not so easy to extract.

The efficiency of gas turbines is close to the limit. The state-of-the-art nickel base alloys would not tolerate higher temperatures. Therefore, scientists are looking for an alternative superalloy for the turbine material. Lukas Karge studied a hot candidate for his PhD thesis with Dr. habil. Ralph Gilles at the MLZ.

Eight highly motivated girls participated in the program “Physics and technology made easy” within the framework of the “Mädchen machen Technik” initiative.

Florian Hahn, Member of the German Parliament, has now visited the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum.

Until end of September a new photo exhibition is now to see in the subway showcase of the city of Garching on the occasion of the anniversary “60 years neutrons from Garching”.

On 27 July at 7 pm Prof. Winfried Petry, the Scientific Director of the FRM II, will give a one-hour talk at the gymnasium in Garching. This will include a very short historical retrospect, but most of all the listeners will get up-to-date information on what is going on at the research neutron source in Garching, on current research and how the FRM II is positioned in the international research landscape. Admission is free and all interested Garchinger citizens are invited to attend. There will also be the opportunity to ask own questions and to receive competent answers.

Scientists from EPFL and PSI have shown experimentally, for the first time, a quantum phase transition in strontium copper borate, the only material to date that realizes a famous quantum many-body model. Scientist Dr. Astrid Schneidewind from the MLZ was also involved with the PANDA instrument.

In the journal Science, a Chinese–German team of researchers has presented a novel synthetic antiferromagnetic material which may prove pioneering for progress in nanomedicine and information technology. Up until now, synthetic antiferromagnets have been manufactured primarily from transition metals and alloys. The scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei manufactured a different kind of antiferromagnet consisting of several oxide layers only a few nanometres thick, whose properties can be adapted to various applications in a targeted manner. In collaboration with Forschungszentrum Jülich, the researchers used neutron measurements at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) to show that the individual layers of the new material can be magnetized and their polarity reversed – meaning that the magnetic states can be switched in a controlled fashion.

Since several decades an enigmatic impression in the braincase of the forerunners of mammals caused palaeontologists headache. Recently, Michael Laaß could clarify the possible function of this chamber by means of neutron tomography at the instrument ANTARES.

Just in time …

They have received by far the most votes from all candidates and are represented again in the “Komitee Forschung mit Neutronen”: Dr. Astrid Schneidewind from the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (left), and Dr. Wiebke Lohstroh from the Technical University of Munich (right).

Once again, the instrument BioDiff at the MLZ has located with highest accuracy hydrogen atoms of various inhibitors when binding to the enzyme trypsin. The results, which are important for the prediction of binding properties of new substances in drug research, have now been published in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

The IAEA organizes the workshop for disseminating the use of neutron imaging in research and industry from 28 August until 1 September. Registration and abstract submission are possible until 10 June.

Restorers often have to deal with negative or even damaging consequences of conservation measures from earlier years. The church of St. Laurentius in Tönning / Schleswig-Holstein was also affected, because two valuable wooden figures from the beginning of the 18th century were distorted by an earlier treatment of wood preservatives.

The MLZ does not only provide excellent scientific results and user service but also extraordinary education and training for young people, world-class instruments and their upgrades. The MLZ also offers from time to time support for the technical program of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which brings together research institutions and scientists from its different member states to collaborate on research projects or training purposes. Another important support is to fund travel expenses for scientists, as many countries only have a limited budget for research activities or travels to conferences and training.

“Mountains – Hiking – Learning” is the motto of the “Ferienakademie Sarntal” from 17 to 29 September 2017. Until 9 May, Bachelor and Master students from various disciplines can apply.

The speed of microelectronics is currently limited by heating, as increased speed also increases the power dissipation. Spintronics or Spin-Electronics is a new concept allowing for much higher speed. It is based on the manipulation of the electron spins in magnetic layers buried inside the devices. A high magnetization of these magnetic layers is desirable in spintronic devices to allow for efficient manipulation of the electronic states.

Ricardo Garcia Soto is a Chilean science author and director of television films, as well as the highly successful Astroblog. He studied astronomy at the University of Chile and completed his education as a film and TV director, which gave him a different look at astronomical research.
In 2016 he visited Garching and came by for a stop-over at the FRM II. He made a short about what to see at the FRM II, released on Youtube.

More than 6 million Euros has been invested by the European Commission in the development of new nuclear fuel in the framework of the LEU FOREvER (Fuel for REsEarch Reactors) project. Of this, half a million has been set aside for the developments at FRM II. Project partners include research institutes as well as industry leaders from five countries, with TUM as the only university.

Scientific pictures often show fantastic motifs – for scientists sometimes not so easy to recognize. For laymen, who do not know the background or genesis, and therefore look at them with a very different look, they reveal a very special beauty that can compete with classical art. Armin Kriele, a member of the Material Science Laboratory of the MLZ, has this other look and also looks with the eyes of an esthete on the scientific pictures that he daily sees.

Together with the VW-VM research company, a collaboration between VW and VARTA Microbattery, scientists from the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ, working group Dr. Ralph Gilles) and the chair of Technical Electrochemistry (Prof. Hubert Gasteiger) of the Technical University of Munich have now investigated for the first time the aging of battery cell prototypes for stationary storage systems with the help of neutrons on the instrument SPODI.

At the age of 86, the emeritus professor Dr. Tasso Springer has now died. He was one of the first pupils of Prof. Dr. Heinz Maier-Leibnitz, discovered and developed together with his mentor the principle of the guiding of neutrons by mirroring (neutron guides) at the atomic egg.

Rechargeable lithium batteries with cathodes comprising nickel, manganese, and cobalt, are viewed as the most potent today. But they, too, have a limited lifespan. Already in the first cycle they lose up to ten percent of their capacity. Why this happens and what can be done to alleviate the ensuing gradual loss of capacity has now been investigated in detail by a team of scientists using positrons at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

First groundbreaking ceremony for the new science and technology building of the Technical University of Munich as well as the laboratory and office building of the Research Center Jülich for use by the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ): (from left to right) Prof. Dr. Winfried Petry (Scientific Director of Research Neutron Source FRM II), Prof. Dr. Dr. hc Mult. Wolfgang A. Herrmann (President of the Technical University of Munich), Dr. Anton Kastenmüller (Technical Director of the Research Neutron Source FRM II), Prof. Dr. Thomas Brückel (Director of the Jülich Center for Neutron Science and Spokesman of the MLZ Directorate), Stefan Müller MdB (Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)), Prof. Dr. Dr. hc Mult. Sebastian M. Schmidt (Member of the Board, Research Center Jülich), Dr. Dietmar Gruchmann (First Mayor of the City of Garching).

The Danish company Haldor Topsøe got thanks to the EU project SINE 2020 at ANTARES interesting radiograpies of its electrolysis cells.

The German DFG has granted support for the development of a pulsed positron source that will enable investigations of exotic states of matter and mixes of matter and antimatter with 750,000 euros.

“Forschung aktuell” reports about the construction of a molybdenum-99 facility at the FRM II.

Students can now apply for the Master Program. The application deadlines are different for the country of origin: for non-EU students, they will end on 31 January 2017; EU students must apply until 28 February 2017. All those who do not need a scholarship will have time until 15 May 2017.

There is a strong suspicion that Helicobacter pylori is linked to the development of stomach cancer. Now an international team of researchers led by Prof. Donald R. Ronning (University of Toledo, USA) has used neutrons to unlock the secret to the functionality of an important enzyme in the bacterium’s metabolism. This could be used as a point of attack for new medications. The team made the corresponding measurements at the neutron sources in Oak Ridge (USA) and at the research neutron source reactor FRM II of the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

Anyone who has ever looked out of the window during an intercontinental flight has probably already seen it: cirri, the ice clouds in the upper troposphere (8-12 km high) look like rattled cotton. But also in the lower stratosphere (15-20 km altitude) there are ice clouds, so-called polar stratospheric clouds (abbr. PSCs).

The influence of interactions in high protein concentrations is extremely difficult to quantify experimentally. Neutron scattering experiments performed among other places at the J-NSE instrument at MLZ have now made studies possible in physiological concentrations.

For his commitment to the Campus Choir Garching (CCG), the Technical University of Munich awarded the Karl Max von Bauernfeind Medal to the long-term FRM II employee Franz Michael Wagner.

Johannes Nußbickel follows Dr. Klaus Seebach as Managing Director.

British scientists have elucidated the structure of a vital enzyme with the help of neutrons. This involved the presence of a hydrogen atom. Their results are now published in Nature Communications.

One week of beam time at the PUMA instrument have been enough for international research teams from Beijing and the USA to prove theoretical calculations experimentally. The results bring the global community of superconductors a good deal, because this small, but very important puzzle part has confirmed a theory.

Alexandros Koutsioumpas from Forschungszentrum Jülich has studied the structure of complex lipid membranes at the neutron reflectometer MARIA.

A team of researchers have now found indications of a so-called “spiral spin-liquid” structure in manganese scandium thiospinel single crystals at low temperatures. They used the diffuse scattering neutron time of flight spectrometer (DNS).

In December 2015, Dr. Thorsten Lauer was still working as a postdoc and Thorsten Zechlau as a graduate student at the FRM II. Lauer and Zechlau could convince an investor with their knowledge and their enthusiasm for neutron optics to support the founding of a company on 1 January 2016. “We would not have dreamed of that a year ago”, the two founders say.

On Saturday, 22 October, more visitors were able to visit the research neutron source thanks to a tight planning: 557 came to the FRM II Open Day. Many others used the versatile offer in the physics department. (in German only)

The first “Joint Workshop JCNS and Flipper 2016 – Modern Trends in Neutron Scattering for Magnetic Systems/Single-crystal Diffraction with Polarized Neutrons” was held from 3 -7 October 2016 at the Evangelische Akademie Tutzing on Lake Starnberg, south of Munich.

An international team of scientists has examined high-temperature superconductors at the instrument PANDA. Their resulsts have been published in Nature Communications.

Mechnical engineers of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have observed battery cells during their filling with the help of neutron radiography – and have learned important lessons for the production process.

The VDI-TUM Experts Forum, which is organized at intervals of 2 years from the VDI and the FRM II, took place at the Campus Garching on 15 September 2016. As always, it was fully booked and the organizers of the Technical Committee “Application-oriented non-destructive material and component testing” were again able to offer a whole range of exciting talks. The event was moderated by Dr. Ralph Gilles (TUM). This time the focus was on high-performance materials and their non-destructive testing.

On September 21, in Kiel again a Garching neutron researcher receives the Wolfram Prandl Prize for young scientists in the field of research with neutrons: Dr. Anatoliy Senyshyn. He obtains the prize for his outstanding research in the field of lithium-ion batteries, which he watches in its function in a live hook-up at the atomic level.

Experiments with neutrons reveal minimal corrosion of the top layer of a naturally occurring CO₂ reservoir

The long-term storage of carbon dioxide in porous layers of rock deep underground (carbon capturing and storage, CCS) could contribute to reducing the emission of climate-damaging gases in the atmosphere. An international research team including scientists from Jülich and Aachen investigating a natural 100,000-year-old carbon dioxide (CO₂) reservoir in Utah, USA, have now shown that carbon dioxide dissolved in water remains stored in certain types of rock layers far longer than first envisaged (Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12268).

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has given 13.5 million Euros to fund a number of projects at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ). The projects are to be realized by ten different universities over the next three years, including seven projects at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The Ministry has also given 2.7 million Euros to support the integration of instruments in the new Neutron Guide Hall East at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz research neutron source (FRM II).

Physics can also taste very sweet – this is one of the things that the pupils from grade 3 of the elementary school Garching Ost learned during their visit at the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz. They made an atom model from toothpicks and marsh mallows and tried their abilities as neutron scatterers at a neutron ball toss.

More than 90 energy researchers from around the world now came to the conference “Neutrons For Energy” in Bad Reichenhall to discuss current results and questions from various areas of energy research with neutrons.

According to Wikipedia, a TAKIN is a goat-like mammal in Asia. Quite different at FRM II: here it is a new and extremely useful software that Tobias Weber, Robert Georgii and Prof. Peter Böni of the MIRA group developed specifically for working with three-axis spectrometers.

Researchers at the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) together with German and international partners have for the first time unequivocally detected weak electromagnons by means of neutron scattering. Their studies of hübnerite single crystals (chemical formula: MnWO₄) have established a further building block towards a better understanding of the complex phenomenon that is multiferroicity.

A novel and rare state of matter known as a quantum spin liquid has been empirically demonstrated in a monocrystal of the compound calcium-chromium oxide. What is remarkable about this discovery is that according to conventional understanding, a quantum spin liquid should not be possible in this material. First neutron measurements for this study have been performed on the instrument TOFTOF of MLZ.

Since July 20, the FRM II again delivers neutrons. In the break, employees have finished many tasks: They exchanged the beam plug, which will guide neutrons towards the neutron guide hall east for new instruments. In addition, other maintenance works were carried out as the exchange of thimble tubes in the moderator tank.

Two short films explain vividly the basics of neutron scattering. Starring are next to the two instruments DNS and BioDiff the scientits Dr. Sultan Demirdis and Dr. Tobias Schrader.

Using neutrons, scientists have revealed a possible cause of Alzheimer’s disease. During recent experiments carried out on the instrument TOFTOF at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum in Garching and two spectrometers at the ILL in Grenoble, they observed an altered mobility of the lipids in model cell membranes with the presence of amyloid-β. This peptide is believed to trigger symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

On July 7, the 11th International Conference on Polarised Neutrons for Condensed Matter Investigations 2016 (PNCMI 2016) in Freising ended.

2013/14 Dr. Peng Cheng worked on the instrument PANDA to develop a concept for a cold three-axis spectrometer, which he now has published together with the MLZ-scientists Dr. Astrid Schneidewind, Dr. Peter Link and Dr. Robert Georgii in the journal Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. Sect. A-Accel. Spectrom. Dect. Assoc. Equip. 821, 17 (2016).

Thirty years into the investigation and the theory still has gaps – researchers worldwide are still attempting to fathom why some materials suddenly become superconductive at specific temperatures. The PUMA and PANDA experiments at the FRMII research neutron source are among the best in the world for investigating certain aspects of the phenomenon. There, scientists have spent the last ten years or so piecing together the picture.
An article about supercoducting contains the 18th edition of “Faszination Forschung” (in English), the scientific journal of the Technical University of Munich. It provides in a semi-annual cycle interesting insights into the scientific world of the Technical University of Munich.

The Scientific Computing Group of MLZ organizes the first school on the simulation software BornAgain, which will take place on 21-22 November 2016 at MLZ Garching. The School will introduce students and researchers working in the field of GISAS or reflectometry in extensive hands-on tutorials to new opportunities for simulating and fitting their data.

The combination of the neutron diffraction techniques and the software program “Umweg” at MLZ is a big step forward to improve neutron studies on many highlighting materials, in order to answer the often difficult question of their real symmetry.

On October 1 a new two-year project will begin, which will serve to study the microscopic structure and dynamics of bulk metallic glasses.

1966 was the birth of neutron backscattering spectroscopy with the first published experiment at the Atomic Egg. For the 50th birthday, the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum and partners organize a workshop on the history of the method and its modern and future innovative applications on 2nd and 3rd September 2016.

Samantha Zimnik was granted with the Laura Bassi price for her outstanding scientific achievements in the field of surface physics at the positron source NEPOMUC.

Experimental physicists Prof. Christian Pfleiderer and Prof. Peter Böni from the physics department of TUM are awarded the European Physical Society’s prestigious Europhysics Prize. The prize is awarded for the “discovery of a skyrmion phase in manganese silicon” and shared with three theoretical physicists: Prof. Alex Bogdanov (Dresden), Prof. Achim Rosch (Cologne) and Prof. Ashvin Vishwanath (Berkeley).

Technical University of Munich and German Engineering Association (VDI) organize for the sixth time an experts meeting at the FRM II on 15th September 2016. This workshop (in German language!) is on high performance materials in use. Registration is possible now.

Transporting electricity without losses is the promise of superconducting materials. Two research teams have studied the new class of iron-based superconductors at the instrument PUMA of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz centre and independently came to the same surprising result: The superconducting Cooper pairs change their symmetry.

An international research team has discovered the mechanism by which a pharmaceutical excipient from the class of block copolymers improves the solubility of large quantities of a poorly water-soluble active substance. The results form the basis for the development of a drug delivery system better tolerated by the human body.

The magnetic properties of thin film systems with superconducting and ferromagnetic states and an insulating layer in between were never studied before.

For her doctoral thesis “Thermal Conductivity of High Density Uranium-Molybdenum Fuels for Research Reactors” Dr. Tanja Huber is awarded the Karl Wirtz Prize of the German Nuclear Society (KTG) today.

Publication on the catalytic layers of high-temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cells is published online: M. Khaneft et al, Structure and Proton Dynamics in catalytic layers of HT-PEFC, Fuel Cells 2016.

In their latest publication Friedrich and Ursula Wagner have examined the high temperature method more closely by the Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA) method to find the optimal conditions for preservation of Iron Age’s artifacts.

With the aid of neutron spectroscopy, dynamic processes have been detected in so-called “LOV photoreceptors” by scientists from Jülich, Aachen, Dusseldorf and Garching. The research has recently been published in “Biophysical Journal” (DOI:10.1016/j.bpj.2016.01.021).

Scientists of the Technical University of Clausthal succeeded the first time using neutrons at FRM II and the PSI to measure the self-diffusion in amorphous silicon.

The combination of different neutron methods allowed measuring the complete spectrum of magnetic excitations.

Forschungszentrum Jülich has begun to develop a concept for cost-efficient neutron sources which could replace mid-sized facilities. The new sources will operate without using reactor-typical chain reactions. Even smaller facilities on a laboratory scale can be set up using the same principle.

Physicists of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Centre and the Technical University of Munich have shown the enormous benefits of the Positron annihilation induced Auger Electron Spectroscopy (PAES) in the exploration of surfaces.

Students can immediately apply for the MaMaSELF Master program that starts in 2016. The deadline for non-EU students ends on January 31, 2016; EU students have time until February 28, 2016. All, that do not require scholarship, must apply before April 30, 2016.

Prof. Dieter Richter of the Forschungszentrum Jülich (Jülich Centre for Neutron Science) and the Institute of Complex Systems has been awarded the Staudinger-Durrer Prize of the ETH Zürich for his work in the area of soft matter.

On 24 November 2015 the G7 Non Proliferation Directors Group visited the Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) and the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Centre for Neutron Research (MLZ). This visit took place in the framework of the G7 presidency of the Federal Republic of Germany and upon invitation of the Federal Foreign Office.

The Institute of Physics (IOP) and the German Physical Society (DPG) have jointly awarded the Max Born Prize to Christian Pfleiderer of TUM’s Physik-Department.

A key issue with lithium ion batteries is aging. It significantly reduces their potential storage capacity. To date, very little is known about the causes of the aging effects. Scientists from the Department of Technical Electrochemistry and the Research Neutron Source FRM II at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now come a step closer to identifying the causes in their latest experiments.

An international workshop with more than 30 researchers in attendance was organized by the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) on 27-28 October to discuss current and future options for compact accelerator-driven high brilliance neutron sources to serve the international scientific community.

The new detection system is characterized by a dead-time constant of 25ns and a count rate as high as 5MHz at 10% dead-time. Compared to the old detector, this means an improvement of factor 25.

“Neutron Scattering on Nano-Structured Soft Matter: Synthetic- and Bio-Materials” has been the focus of this year’s JCNS Workshop, held from 5 -8 October at the Evangelische Akademie Tutzing on Lake Starnberg.

Unter diesem Titel wird Prof. Dr. Winfried Petry am 10.11.2015 um 19 Uhr in der Reihe Campus Talks in ARD Alpha über Forschung mit Neutronen sprechen.

Usually, harvesting energy and raw materials from plants requires many process steps and aggressive chemicals. To make these processes more efficient and resource saving, researchers are looking for suitable enzymes. Using neutrons, researchers have now investigated the reaction mechanism of an important class of enzymes – the glycosidases. The measurements were made at the neutron sources in Los Alamos and Oak Ridge (USA), as well as at the research neutron source FRM II of the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The results provide the key to improving large-scale technical processing of biomass.

The first Jülich Workshop “Soft Matter and Neutrons GO Energy” took place in Feldafing from 08 – 09 October. Twenty-five scientists exchanged ideas in an interdisciplinary environment on topics related to soft matter and neutron research for sustainable energy supplies.

The FRM II is one of 13 TUM departments and institutions working together with Varta Storage, Kraftwerke Haag and the ZAE Bayern in the project. They have jointly developed and constructed this innovative bulk storage.

How mobile individual polymers are reveals a lot about their macroscopic properties. Neutron researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich have now found a much easier and more accurate way of investigating the often decisive lateral deflection of molecules. They use ring-shaped molecules as probes, which wrap themselves around the polymer chains and follow their lateral motion.

The MLZ group “Structure Research” invites to a free workshop titled “Solution of Crystal Structures using FOX”. The workshop will be held on December1 from 9-17 in the gate Garching (Lichtenbergstraße 8, 85748 Garching).

On September 13 -17, 2015 the 35th International DyProSo (Dynamical Properties of Solids) will take place at the Education Centre Freising.

Today a new cooperation project starts, which is headed by MLZ partner JCNS: CREMLIN (Connecting Russian and European Measures for Large-scale Research Infrastructures) shall promote the EU-Russia cooperation in the planning, construction and scientific use of large scale facilities.

Manganese silicon is the preferred crystal of scientists going in for magnetic research: it can be manufactured for some time as relatively large single crystal, and is particularly suited to investigate the magnetic properties. Now theoretical and experimental physicists from the TU Munich, the MLZ and the University of Cologne managed to pull off a special coup with this material.

As of today, the European Union rises the neutron source European Spallation Source (ESS) in Lund, Sweden, which is under construction, to a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC).

Dr. Kazuhisa Kakurai, this year’s winner of the Helmholtz International Fellow Award, just arrived at the MLZ. The stay and the experiments he will conduct here at the research neutron source are part of the award.

New Study shows Correlation between Microscopic Structures and Macroscopic Properties

In combination with other methods of investigation, scientists have recently made amazing results with the instrument BIODIFF at MLZ.

This year 373 visitors landed a place in one of the coveted guided tours. All tours offered were already booked up at 7 pm. Many interested visitors therefore had to be rejected.

The popular and well-known open day on the research campus will be replaced this year by a long night, which starts on 27 June at 6 pm and ends at midnight. The FRM II will participate like every year at this event with various actions.

The first external user was Klaus Habicht of the Helmholtz Centre Berlin, who carried out experiments on the instrument TRISP on May 4, 2005.

At the end of March, Prof. Dieter Richter of the Research Centre Jülich not only retires, but also passes his position as MLZ Director to Prof. Thomas Brückel. Officially, Prof. Brückel, however, has already taken the job as MLZ director at the beginning of this year.

First published success of the new Rapid Access Program

The journal Acta Materialia published the results of an experiment with the instrument SPODI at MLZ that allows developing a faster method for structure determination of shape memory alloys of nickel-manganese-indium.

An international group of scientists studied these small pea plants with neutrons to watch them during photosynthesis.

This year the event is dedicated to the International Year of the Light and will therefore deal with the laser and quantum physics (in German only).

The scientists were able to detect structural changes using a model system of phospholipids from soy plants with the help of neutron scattering techniques at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum in Garching near Munich.

Forschungszentrum Jülich receives around € 4 million from the EU to develop a more efficient detector system for research with neutrons.

Worldwide, battery research is one of the most intensively studied research fields, because – for various reasons – the need for energy storage devices is growing rapidly. Also at the MLZ, several research groups work in this field and try to gain a better understanding of how batteries work by various neutron methods.

For the development of a new fuel with lower enrichment, Uranium-molybdenum (UMo) embedded in an aluminum matrix is a promising candidate. Hsin-Yin Chiang of MLZ has tested several coatings of UMo and qualified the most suitable materials combination.

The registration for the Master’s program MaMaSELF for the years 2015-2017 runs until 31 January (non-European), 27 February (European students) and 30 April 2015 (without scholarship).

Measurements at the three axes spectrometer PUMA have now been published in the renowned journal Nature Communications.

The German TV station Sat 1 Bayern broadcasted a documentary on retina implants on December 29 at 17.30h, where research undertaken by Dr. Neelima Paul of Technische Universität München at MLZ will be shown. (only in German)

Dr. Matthias Rossbach and his team of the Institute of Energy and Climate Research, IEK-6, Nuclear Waste Management and Reactor Safety of the Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH designed and constructed a new instrument for prompt and delayed fission neutron induced reaction Gamma spectrometry.

Measurements using positrons could help to develop better coatings for drugs.

South of the Maier-Leibnitz Laboratory a hall in wood construction is currently being built. From next year on, it will house the mock-up for the cooling systems of the ultracold neutron source at the FRM II.

Recently the Solid State Spectroscopy group in Max-Planck Institute (Stuttgart, led by Prof. Bernhard Keimer) published in Physical Review Letters their results of inelastic neutron scattering under collaboration with scientists at PANDA and PUMA.

Today, several hundred members of the European scientific community gathered at the European Spallation Source (ESS) construction site in Lund, Sweden, for the ESS Foundation Stone Ceremony. German scientists participated from the beginning.

On 23rd of September 2014 Dr. Marc Janoschek has received the Wolfram-Prandl-Prize 2014 of the “Komitee für Forschung mit Neutronen” during the “German Conference for Research with Synchrotron Radiation, Neutrons and Ion Beams at Large Facilities”.

55 students from 13 different countries participated again at the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science Labcourse at MLZ. They learned neutron scattering in lectures in Jülich and based on experiments at the research neutron source FRM II.

Lithium-ion batteries are seen as a solution for energy storage of the future and have become indispensible, especially in electromobility. Their key advantage is that they are able to store large amounts of energy but are still comparatively light and compact.

Start of the 35^th operating cycle: Since today the FRM II provides users and customers from science, industry and medicine after a thorough review again neutrons and irradiation services.

Neutron scattering experiment at PUMA resolves a contentious superconducting issue.

The new Chairman of the Board of Directors of Forschungszentrum Jülich, Prof. Wolfgang Marquardt, has visited the outstation of the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ) in Garching on 23 July.

Two instrument scientists of the MLZ will be part of the eight delegates of the German Neutron scientists: Dr. Wiebke Lohstroh of Technische Universität München and Dr. Astrid Schneidewind of Forschungszentrum Jülich.

The batteries for electric mobility used today are not yet powerful enough, they load too slowly and the range, they provide is still too small for electric vehicles. The FRM II is very much involved in the research on the new super battery.

The Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) celebrated its extraordinary achievements with a colloquium on the Jülich campus.

Neutrons shed light on vital enzymes’ mechanism of action

Ten years after its first criticality regulations require the FRM II to do extensive tests on its main systems. Goal of these tests is to prove the safe operation of the FRM II for the years to come.

An international research group led by Dr. Vladimir Hutanu has recently been able to measure the magnetic parameters of the Ba₂CoGe₂O₇-crystal at the neutron diffractometer POLI much more accurately than it was previously possible.

Neutrons reveal power play in myelin basic protein

NEUWAVE-6 has now returned to its place of origin in Garching, where 42 experts from 13 different countries discussed recent developments and future plans in an open atmosphere.

Today, the general assembly of the German Atomic Forum DAtF (Deutsches Atomforum e.V.) has confirmed unanimously the election of the DAtF Presidential Council of Prof. Dr. Winfried Petry for Vice President.

In the future, antineutrino detectors may provide an additional option for monitoring. Physicists at Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) have now found interesting results using fast neutrons from the Heinz Maier Leibnitz Zentrum.

It does not always take a huge accelerator to do particle physics: First results from a low energy, table top alterative takes validity of Newtonian gravity down by five orders of magnitude and narrows the potential properties of the forces and particles that may exist beyond it by more than one hundred thousand times. The technical premises for this measurement was developed at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum by Researchers of theTechnische Universität München.

The Jülich Centre for Neutron Science organises a laboratory course in neutron scattering with experiments at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum. Registration is open until May 25th.

The MLZ is present at this year’s Frühjahrstagung of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft in Dresden until April 4^th.

A typical neutron scattering experiment may last some hours, especially for low concentration biological samples. During that time some delicate samples might degrade and consequently lead to questionable results. A team of researchers is working on an in-situ set up to control the sample quality along time so that the data used to sum up to form a scattering curve can be selected and false data can be discarded.

For exactly ten years the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz research neutron source (FRM II) of the Technische Universitaet München (TUM) has been providing research, industry and medicine with neutrons.

The Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) celebrates its 10^th anniversary on March 2^nd. (German Version only)

The User Office’s blog starts on February 14^th!

The polarized single crystal diffractometer POLI has seen neutrons at its new beam line SR 9a for the first time.

15 students of grade 12 at the Carl-Orff-Gymnasium Unterschleißheim have successfully finished their “W-Seminar” at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum.

MLZ and FRM II wish happy holidays and a healthy, happy New Year to their staff, users, partners, sponsors and friends.

For the first time Prof. Dr. Tobias Unruh and his team (Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU)) have demonstrated with neutrons how long-chain molecules in their liquid melt move.

Researchers of the Centrum Baustoffe und Materialprüfung at the Technische Universität München (TUM) have obtained new insights into the bonding of water in calcium silicate hydrate by using neutrons on the instrument TOFTOF of the MLZ.

MaMaSELF registration for the year 2014/2015 runs until 26 January 2014.

Using high resolution neutron scattering at the instrument TRISP of the Max-Planck Society at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ), the lifetime of magnetic spin waves was measured and, for the first time, a correct theory was developed.

The open doors attracted 484 people to the FRM II. Many others caught up with information at the stands of the neutron source and MLZ and listened to the talks.

123 delegates from 21 countries accepted our NEPOMUC research group’s invitation to the 13th International Workshop on Slow Positron Beam Techniques and Applications SLOPOS13 and joined at the Technische Universität München from 15th to 20th September.
This event is part of a series of triennial SLOPOS-conferences.

Experiments with neutrons at the Technische Universität München (TUM) show that the antidepressant lithium accumulates more strongly in white matter of the brain than in grey matter.

Shocked and deeply saddened we have been informed about the passing of Prof. Dr. Klaus Schreckenbach. He suddenly died on September 13th, 2013, being on vacation.

The German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) supports again the construction and upgrade of scientific instruments at the MLZ..

The first International Conference on imaging with neutrons in archeology and cultural heritage will take place from 9th to 12th of September 2013 at the Physics Department of the Technical University of Munich (TUM, James – Franck -Str. 1) on the Garching research campus.

Jürgen Allgaier from Forschungszentrum Jülich tested a new class of surfactants, which is now applied in commercial colour removers. (article only in German)

More and more bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics. Researchers have used the instrument BioDiff to elucidate the mechanism.

Experts for Neutron Research met in Erlangen at a workshop with materials scientists.

Nowadays lithium ion batteries are commonly used as storage media in portable electronic devices like laptops, smart phones, cameras, etc. …

The registration for the conference NINMACH is possible.

The 13th International Workshop on Slow Positron Beam Techniques and Applications is held at the FRM II from 15th to 20th September 2013.

Efficient and long-lived storage of information in magnetic vortices

Again, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) supports the development of high-precision experiments with ultra-cold neutrons.

FRM II participates in TUM research project to develop local energy buffer systems.

TUM and Helmholtz Centers establish the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum.

By means of neutron scattering, scientists observed an important process that contributes to fatigue in current Li-ion cells.

By means of neutron scattering, the crystallographic structure of a novel material with amazing phenomena at low temperatures was unraveled.

The new multi anvil press of the Bayerisches Geoinstitut of the University of Bayreuth was delivered and put into operation in the new East Hall of the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II).

Nearly 500 people took advantage of the opportunity to tour the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II).

Neutron experiments show, that the theoretical concept of superfluids by Nobel Prize winner Lev Landau must be corrected in details.

Using neutrons, researchers observed new effects between magnetic and superconducting materials.

Neutrons will contribute to optimizing energy storage systems for future electric cars.

By using neutron scattering experiments, researchers expect to have observed the typical characteristics of a phase transition based on the Higgs mechanism.

Neutron experiments explain how protein-polymer hybrids work.

The trainee Christopher Berkel made a testing machine for a laboratory in North America. It was his final work as part of his training in mechatronics at the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II). In March earlier this year, a ship brought the unit to Canada.

150 years ago Sir William Henry Bragg was born. Together with his son Lawrence he established a new research branch: the analysis of crystal structures using x-ray and neutron diffraction.

Neutrons reveal how the oxygen-transporting protein adapts to the body temperature of different species.

During a visit at the Research Neutron Source in Garching a high-ranking official of the Federal Research Ministry emphasized the great importance of science with neutrons for future technologies.

Discovery of skyrmions in an electrical non-conductor promises a new lossless magneto-electronics.

At the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) work begins for a foundation on which a connecting building between the experimental hall and the future neutron guide hall east will be erected.

The Reactor Safety Commission confirmed the high safety standard in the framework of a stress test for research reactors.

4th VDI-TUM expert forum in Garching

After a short fluctuation of current of the external supply, the FRM II was shut down on Saturday, March 24th. The 27th cycle thus ended ahead of time.

The popular seminar for teachers in natural sciences in Zwiesel, Bavaria, which is partly organized by Professor Winfried Petry, will focus on electromobility this year. Registration is open until April 13th.

New user survey: Your experience and opinion is requested!

We kindly ask all our users to participate in the current user survey regarding sample envirnoment. Your feedback will give us the possibility to improve your work at the FRM II!

Our neutron source has been taken back into operation on February 23rd after the exchange of a bearing had been completed successfully.

Die Forschungs-Neutronenquelle wird am Freitag, 17. Februar, planmäßig abgefahren, um ein Kugellager auszutauschen.

The world’s strongest neutron beam is produced by the scientific instrument PGAA at the FRM II. But that is not all: During the long maintenance break in 2011, the PGAA (Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis) was improved to give it the best ratio between usable neutrons and noisy background radiation worldwide.

For the second time, the neutron source receives financial support of the7th European Framework Programme.

A workshop on subject of micromagnetic theory and related experimental aspects of small-angle neutron scattering is held on 21-22 of June 2012.

Professor Walter Hälg, one of the pioneers of neutron scattering and reactor technology in Switzerland, died after short illness on December 28, 2011 in Baden/Switzerland.

Using small angle neutron scattering at the instrument MIRA at the FRM II and V4 at the Helmholtz Centre Berlin, Tim Adams of the TU München physics department has delivered the missing microscopic evidence for the topological characteristics of a long reaching skyrmion lattice.

Engineers and physicists around the ANTARES Neutron Imaging Team at the FRM II research reactor have invented a reusable shielding material for neutron- and gamma-radiation.

For the first time, members of the Green Party “Bündnis 90 – Die Grünen” visited the neutron source on Tuesday, November 8th.

After the long maintenance break the neutron source produces neutron beams for research, industry and medicine since October 29th.

Prof. Dr. Christian Pfleiderer at the chair of experimental physics E 21 of the TUM physics department receives a European grant for the research on stable magnetic vortices using neutrons.

A successful specification test: The sample environment group of the instruments operated by the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) at the FRM II offers an vertical 5 Tesla cryomagnet in the near future. After a test phase, the cryomagnet will be available for routine operation in spring 2012.

The Committee Research with Neutrons (KFN) has published a new bilingual brochure.

Josef Waronitza has finished his apprenticeship in mechatronics at the FRM II with an excellent grade. He is one of the best in his school in Munich.

The apprentices for IT service at the FRM II, Alexander Lenz and Christoph Kick, have finished their school with grade 1.

For the first time, the international Advanced Summer School in Radiation Detection and Measurements took place in Munich. Karl Zeitelhack of the FRM II had co-organized the school and guided the students in the neutron source.

In approximately 50 contributions, the cooperation partners FRM II, JCNS, HZG and HZB have enriched the European Conference on Neutron Scattering (ECNS) in Prague.

Ten FRM II staff members took part at the company run b2run on July 21st in Munich. Stefan Söllradl became 31st with 20:35 min.

A physicist of the Technische Universitaet Muenchen has examined tissues using neutrons at the FRM II and found, that the antidepressant lithium is more dominant in some areas of the human brain than others.

The German Federal Ministry of Health has awarded more than one million euros in research and development funding for the efficient production of an important cancer diagnostic agent at the research neutron source FRM II.

The neutron source FRM II and the chair E13 of the physics department honoured Prof. Dr. Winfried Petry in a colloquium on the occasion of his 60th birthday.

Researchers at the TUM have developed a new treatment method based on the Terbium-161 radionuclide to treat smaller tumors and metastases in a more targeted way. The nuclide was produced at the FRM II.

The new coordination committee for the scientific use of the neutron source has met for its constitutional meeting on June 6th. The members elected Prof. Dr. Sebastian Schmidt, board member of the Forschungszentrum Jülich, chairman.

The first long maintenance break of the FRM II will be continued for some weeks. The length will be defined by the exchange of the bushings in the cooling system of the heavy water tank.

The reconstruction of the entrance building at the neutron source is finished. Now, scientists and visitors can enter the FRM II in a lucid and friendly entrance hall.

Data measured at the high resolution spectrometer TRISP at the neutron source FRM II contradict a theory about one-dimensional spin ladders. The results have been published in Physical Review Letters online.

Recent work by researchers from the University of Manchester, along with colleagues from FRM II at TU München have managed to provide a detailed description of the magnetic interactions between cobalt(II) ions for the first time.

Professor Heinz Maier-Leibnitz would have turned 100 years on March 28th 2011. To celebrate his birthday, the FRM II honours the great physicist and co-founder of the physics department at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) by organizing a colloquium.

The research neutron source has again taken an major step in its long maintanance break: The beam tube no. 11, which creates positrons for the positron source NEPOMUC, has been replaced.

The construction of the new irradiation facility to produce molybdenum-99 has taken an important step forward. Since the beginning of February, the new thimble has been integrated into the moderator tank of the FRM II.

The neutron source had an anniversary in 2010: The FRM II has been operated in its 25th cycle since its commissioning in 2004.

In order to offer an x-ray facility complementary to the neutron tomography station ANTARES, the FRM II and the Chair for Biomedical Physics at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen have started to operate a new computer tomography facility.