FRoM behind the SCiENcES

Environmental scientist Dr. Nuno Canha measures the air quality in rural Portugal by analysing lichens. Hereby the neutrons of the Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA) of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum play a key role.

Felicia Nachbar, student at the Oskar-Maria-Graf Gymnasium in Neufahrn, examines the teeth of predators and ruminants. The 14-year-old does a voluntary internship at the Materials Science Lab of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum in Garching, a laboratory for sample preparation and x-ray analysis.

Markos Skoulatos, instrument scientist at the FRM II, is one of a few people worldwide who recreated a functional Antikythera mechanism. This first computer of humanity is more than 2000 years old and calculates a wealth of information about the sun and moon phase, planetary motion, solar or lunar eclipses and even Olympic Games and other events.

Lead scientist Dr. Pascale Deen from Lund is part of an international team building a cold chopper spectrometer (CSPEC) at the European Spallation Source (ESS). She talks about the CSPEC collaboration, the future of reactor-based neutron sources, and balancing the needs of her family with those of her family of fellow scientists.

Andreas Galsterer, deputy subarea director at the documentation service of the FRM II, is the Bavarian vice champion in pool-billiard. Not only at the sporting competitions but also at his working place he benefits from his billiard skills.

At the FRM II the exchange of a beam plug is imminent. The preparations for the important project promoting the commissioning of the ultra-cold neutron source lasted more than two years. Exact planning, high accuracy and especially teamwork are vital for pulling out the beam plug as each movement must be correct during the exciting event.