Newsletter III/2022

Between Sept 5^th and 16^th, 2022, the 24^th JCNS LabCourse took place once again in person at Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) and MLZ.

© Forschungszentrum Jülich

© Forschungszentrum Jülich

The course is open to students of natural sciences from all over the world. Participation is free of charge and travel expenses are subsidized. The course is financed by FZJ with support from the EU project SoftComp. 66 participants were selected from more than twice that many applications. About half of the students came from foreign institutions in 14 countries. The participation of female students was 45%, higher than in the years before.

© Muni Poli/ RWTH Aachen

© Muni Poli/ RWTH Aachen

The first week of the course was dedicated to lectures and exercises on theory, instrumentation, and applications in condensed-matter research. In the second week, twelve world-class instruments were made available at the MLZ. Due to the ongoing repairs at FRM II experiments could only be performed as “dry runs”. Nevertheless, the students enjoyed doing this in the actual laboratory environment. In addition, many instruments were able to supply “virtual experiments”. The students also appreciated that components of the instruments could be visited which are inaccessible during operation.

R. Zorn (Forschungszentrum Jülich)

… not to forget magnetism, crystal growth, beer, collaborations, card games, and unicorns!

This year, the Czech-Bavarian mini-school for large-scale facilities and open data took place as an in-person event, with all the associated advantages (actual practicals, discussions as well as the occasional drink after a long day of doing science) and disadvantages (delayed trains).

We started in Garching with lectures on neutron scattering techniques, experiments on our virtual PANDA instrument, and a tour of the FRM II. After delving deep into neutron scattering, we left Munich to discover the wonderous world of crystal growth and low-temperature bulk measurements at Charles University and the MGML laboratories.

Another highlight of the mini-school was the visit to the ELI beamlines, where we experienced the power-pulsed Petawatt lasers and visited the resonators at the heart of the facility.

On the last day, we elucidated the dark side of science and contributed to open science by analyzing openly available neutron scattering data and publishing our findings on arXiv.

J.K. Jochum (MLZ)

Czech-Bavarian Mini School 2022 01

Time for a group picture! in the background: Dispersion of lead measured with the virtual PANDA.

© MLZ

Czech-Bavarian Mini School 2022 02

Projection of a plasma plume created in the air by a laser at ELI beamlines.

© P. Čermak

Czech-Bavarian Mini School 2022 03

Czech students in the Experimental Hall at Garching.

© MLZ

Czech-Bavarian Mini School 2022 04

Lukas Beddrich (MLZ) is explaining the operation of the neutron source FRM II to the students.

© MLZ

Czech-Bavarian Mini School 2022 05

After an introduction to the virtual instruments at the MLZ, the students were using the instrument control software NICOS to measure data at the virtual PANDA.

© MLZ

Czech-Bavarian Mini School 2022 06

Winners of the Student Flash Talk competition: Korbinian Fellner, Lukas Bauer, and Ankit Labh, together with the mini-school organizers Petr Čermak and Johanna K. Jochum.

© MLZ

© Jana

© Jana

Diffraction data (either X-ray or neutron) is an important source of unique information on crystalline and/or magnetic order in solids down to the sub-nm scale. The analysis of these structural details requires powerful and professional software. Among these, Jana2020 (a development project of the Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences) offers and combines a series of unique key features such as simulation of aperiodic/modulated structures, embedded magnetic space group formalism, refinement of anharmonic displacement parameters, etc.

The guests from Prague: Michal Dusek, Vaclav Petricek, and Margaride Henriques. © MLZ

The guests from Prague: Michal Dusek, Vaclav Petricek, and Margaride Henriques. © MLZ

The MLZ Science Group “Structure Research” organized a two-day workshop on Jana2020 for the refinement of powder or single crystal diffraction data on the Garching campus on October, 3^rd-5^th. The authors of Jana2020 (V. Petricek, M. Dusek, and M.S. Henriques) presented new capabilities of their software to more than 20 participants through lectures, hands-on training, and lively discussions on different diffraction-related topics and real examples.

A. Senyshyn (MLZ), M. Meven (RWTH Aachen)

A public workshop was held at the IAS auditorium in Garching in context with the 20^th anniversary of “The European Network on Neutron Techniques Standardisation for Structural Integrity“ or short NeT (www.net-network.eu). The NeT network is a ~30-partner collaboration, based on voluntary in-kind contributions by the participants, that primarily works on residual stress assessments of welds relevant to nuclear engineering applications. MLZ is a partner in NeT since almost the beginning and hosted both the workshop and the subsequent biannual progress meeting of the Steering Committee this time.

The special characteristics of NeT are the extensive residual stress measurement round-robin exercises, utilizing a variety of measurement techniques, and the equally extensive numerical simulation round-robin exercises. Over the years, NeT has arguably produced some of the best-characterized welding residual stress benchmarks in existence.

Anastasia Vasileiou presents the results of her numerical simulation methods. © MLZ

Anastasia Vasileiou presents the results of her numerical simulation methods. © MLZ

The workshop aimed to provide insight into the work within NeT, including the development of the specimens, the materials characterization work, residual stress measurement techniques, numerical assessment methods, the lessons learned, and how these are utilized in nuclear engineering problems.

Three plenary talks on how the results from NeT have benefitted and progressed the structural integrity assessment of welds in the industry were given, followed by eight shorter topical presentations on the methods used for evaluating residual stresses. Two of those talks on mechanical stress measurement methods were contributed online. The meeting was in a hybrid format with about 35 scientists and postgraduate students from the TUM engineering department attending the workshop in person, while up to another twelve from around Europe followed the presentation online.

M. Hofmann (MLZ)

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Having joined the RESEDA team as the second instrument responsible, I will aid in the commissioning of the upcoming instrument upgrades. Furthermore, I aim to streamline the data reduction and analysis pipeline, giving the users easy access to high-resolution spectroscopy methods.

During my PhD, I worked on critical phenomena in itinerant magnets and the characterization of low-dimensional magnetic systems using inelastic neutron scattering methods and magnetometry. I want to pursue these topics by leveraging the unique capabilities at MLZ.

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I am the new second instrument responsible at HEiDi, the single crystal diffractometer at the hot source.

During my PhD studies at the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Poland, I investigated some textbook materials, like hematite or chromium, in which I observed magnetic phenomena which disagree with the symmetry assigned to their crystal structure. Using X-ray, synchrotron radiation, and neutron diffraction, I found that the symmetry of their crystal structure is slightly (but measurable) lower than commonly accepted.

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Since September, I am a postdoc at the NECTAR beamline. I am working on event mode neutron imaging with high temporal and spatial resolution.

Before coming to the MLZ, I did my PhD in nuclear physics at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). In my thesis, I developed a detector for high-resolution neutron emission measurements of individual spent nuclear fuel rods. I am looking forward to having engaging discussions and solving interesting problems together.

Logo GNeuS 1:1

GNeuS is an MSCA co-funded programme that will offer a total of 45 fellowships, each for a typical duration of 24 months. Implementation will be achieved in three recruitment calls (15 fellows recruited per call), organized in November 2021, 2022, and 2023. Several colleagues of the first cohort started their projects at the MLZ during the last months. Meet them below!

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Namaste!
I have recently joined JCNS@MLZ as a post-doc fellow under the GNeUS project. GNeUS offers an opportunity to establish a solid foundation for my professional career and to contribute to the improvisation of neutron facilities in India. My research investigates the influence of correlated disorder in frustrated magnetic systems by combining systematic solid-state synthesis with controlled disorder and a range of advanced neutron scattering techniques. 

Before, I worked as an Integrated-PhD student at the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, India, where I investigated the physical properties of chemically disordered pyrochlore oxides and explored the possible avenues to tune the disorder via external perturbations (e.g. magnetic field and non-magnetic substitution).

Feel free to read my latest publication on this!

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I am a new GNeuS Postdoc fellow at MLZ, aiming to address the inherent structure-property-function relationships in complex materials using Rheo-SANS during transient shear flows, and other scattering techniques. The GNeuS program also promotes overall personal development.

During my PhD, I studied the relaxation processes in structured materials (crosslinked polymers, colloid-polymer gels/soft glasses, and supramolecular systems) using oscillatory rheology and constitutive modeling.

To know more, please read https://sor.scitation.org/doi/abs/10.1122/1.5045073

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Hello everyone! I received my PhD from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, India. I just joined as a postdoc at the SANS–1 group under the GNeus program.

I am mainly working on quench safety and quench protection of metal-insulated superconducting coils for the next-generation sample environment magnets. In this project, we are taking advantage of high-temperature superconductor (HTS) with metal as insulation technology to develop a range of superconducting magnets for neutron scattering (SANS-I), which will be used at the MLZ.

Find my publications at Google Scholar!

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As a new member of JCNS, I will lead the EU MAGFAST project (GNeuS grant) devoted to R&D with a fast neutron inelastic scattering technique for the characterization of rare-earth elements in magnets.

Before I worked at CEA and SCK-CEN. At CEA, my R&D activities were devoted to the characterization of nuclear waste packages by photofission. At SCK-CEN and Université libre de Bruxelles, I received my PhD degree and developed algorithms for the determination of uranium and plutonium isotopic composition.

A summary of my research can be found on LinkedIn.

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Namaste!! I recently joined as GNeuS postdoctoral fellow in the neutron method group (JCNS4) at MLZ and proposed to work on emergent novel phases of quantum material in extreme conditions.

Before, I worked as PhD scholar at the National Institute of Technology Rourkela, India. My field of research was the synthesis and characterization of magnetoelectric multiferroics for structural, magnetic, and magnetoelectric correlation in both bulk and nanoscale.

Find my profile at
https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=XPUbYzcAAAAJ&hl=en and
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pikesh-Pal

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I am a new member at the JCNS@MLZ, joined as a GNeuS fellow on September 1^st, 2022. In this project, I will investigate the interdiffusion of deuterated and protonated polymers making up colloids (latex particles) that internally diffuse during the film formation, using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS).

I received my PhD in Physical Chemistry from the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and the reserach work was carried out at Forschungszentrum Jülich. My field of interest is experimental soft matter and I was working at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre as a DST Inspire Faculty prior to joining the GNeuS project.

Find an interesting publication at https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2021/sm/d1sm00264c/unauth and my profile at Google Scholar!

Logo ECNS 1:1 © MLZ

© MLZ

At the moment, the programme committees are reviewing more than 500 abstracts that had been submitted for the 8^th European Conference on Neutron Scattering to create a diversified programme.

Between March 20^th and 23^rd, 2023, the community will listen to more than 150 talks and visit many, many posters in two poster sessions. Two Micro-Symposia – one organized by DEUNET, the other one on HICANS & CANS – will make the choice of which of the parallel sessions to visit even more difficult…

The programme will be online before Christmas – and you can still register as an early bird. Don’t forget it!

All details and updates can be found at www.ecns2023.eu.

© MLZ

© MLZ

It was great to see some of you in person at the two dedicated neutron conferences this year: first at the ICNS 2022 in Buenos Aires in August, then at the ESS&ILL User Meeting in Lund in October. In Buenos Aires, apart from tango and large steaks we were all impressed with the enthusiasm of the Argentinians to build their new reactor-based neutron source. Although they have quite a bit to go, their engineering approach was very impressive, in particular when you consider the economic challenges Argentina is facing today. For those of us who were in Lund, we could also witness the large progress ESS has made into becoming a world-class neutron facility. As with everybody else they have been delayed due to Covid-19 and the terrible war in Ukraine but are well on track now and are looking forward to welcoming the first users in 2027.

As you all know by now, there will be no possibility to do any neutron experiments at MLZ during 2023 as the central channel of the FRM II has a defect. Unfortunately, it cannot be repaired but must be replaced completely. The MLZ directorate and the engineering staff at FRM II are working relentlessly to get this fixed as soon as possible.

As I understand the replacement work is progressing according to schedule and we can look forward to starting using MLZ at the beginning of 2024. An update on the work is being given at the User Meeting next week. In the meantime, we have to use other facilities but don’t forget to publish the excellent data you already collected at MLZ before the shutdown!

We can also look forward to the 8^th European Conference on Neutron Scattering (ECNS 2023) in March 2023. The conference will take place at the TUM Department of Mechanical Engineering and the new Science Congress Center Munich, located near the MLZ at Garching. If you haven’t signed up, do so! Looking forward to seeing you there.

On a sad note, we learned that the renowned neutron scientist and former BER II director Prof. Dr. Michael Steiner passed away in Berlin on Nov 5^th, 2022 at the age of 79. For the neutron user community, he is known and very much appreciated for his service as chair (2009-2014) of the European Neutron Scattering Association (ENSA) which represents the interests of 4500 users of neutron sources.

I hope to see you in Garching in December, but if not, I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2023.

On the behalf of the MLZ user committee
Tommy Nylander