Wir eröffnen zur Langen Nacht der Wissenschaften unsere Türen und geben Ihnen spannende Einblicke in unsere Forschung. Begeben Sie sich auf einen Rundgang durch die Experimentierhalle und den Speicherring der Synchrotronquelle mit vielen Informationsständen. Unser Schülerlabor lädt Kinder und Jugendliche zu Mitmach-Experimenten ein.
Informationen zur Gesamtveranstaltung finden Sie unter: http://www.langenachtderwissenschaften.de

Das traditionelle Sommerfrühstück für Groß und Klein
Nächste Termine:
08.07.2012, 22.07.2012, 05.08.2012
Zur besseren Planung melden Sie sich bitte bis spätestens 1 Woche vor der jeweiligen Veranstaltung per E-Mail unter: adlershof@helmholtz-berlin.de oder telefonisch unter +49 30 8062 - 14920 an!

Das traditionelle Sommerfrühstück für Groß und Klein
Nächste Termine:
08.07.2012, 22.07.2012, 05.08.2012
Zur besseren Planung melden Sie sich bitte bis spätestens 1 Woche vor der jeweiligen Veranstaltung per E-Mail unter: adlershof@helmholtz-berlin.de oder telefonisch unter +49 30 8062 - 14920 an!

Das traditionelle Sommerfrühstück für Groß und Klein
Nächste Termine:
08.07.2012, 22.07.2012, 05.08.2012
Zur besseren Planung melden Sie sich bitte bis spätestens 1 Woche vor der jeweiligen Veranstaltung per E-Mail unter: adlershof@helmholtz-berlin.de oder telefonisch unter +49 30 8062 - 14920 an!

Within the Sophia project, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin offers a hands-on workshop on the application of two different advanced analysis methods for the characterization of PV materials. These two methods are available within the transnational access program of the SOPHIA project (further information).

Participation will be free of charge but limited to a maximum of 25 participants. If you wish to participate, please send a short CV including your current field of work as well as a possible application and benefit of the presented method(s) to your work. Based on the number of applications, participants will be selected accordingly. 
Travel and accommodation costs should be covered by your own SOPHIA travel budget if you are in the consortium. Other participants may ask for a subsidy of up to 500€ for travel and accommodation costs per participant.

Further information about the workshop can be found here.

Professor Martha Ch. Lux-Steiner is more than happy to invite students to apply for the fourth interdisciplinary International Summer University on Renewable Energies IV: the ISUenergy 2012.
The ISUenergy 2012 will take place from 19 August to 1 September 2012 in Falera/Switzerland. Please find attached the 1st call flyer for more information. The flyer will constantly be updated on the ISUenergy website.  Application registrations can be carried out under the following link: http://www.helmholtz-berlin.de/events/isu-energy/

Abstract: The colossal magnetoresistance displayed by the manganate materials family makes them of interest for potential applications. An even bigger deal is that this behaviour is theoretically unexplained, making the manganates the second 'flagship' correlated electron system next to the high Tc cuprates. In manganese oxides, there reigns a subtle balance between band formation, magnetic interactions, electron-phonon coupling and tendencies towards charge and orbital order. This makes for a complex and dynamic landscape through which charge carriers should move, and this complexity lies behind their remarkable physical properties.

In this seminar, I'll start off by introducing the manganate family as members of the wider class of transition metal oxides and will remind everyone of the basics of crystal fields, Hund's rules, Jahn-Teller physics and Zener double exchange. Then I will go on to tell the story of how - despite the appearance of some red herrings along the way -we have come to a fairly complete understanding of the transport properties of the bilayer manganates¹, through interrogation of their electronic states using photons (ARPES, HAXPES) and tunnelling (STM/STS).

The presentation is based on a series of combined experimental and theoretical studies of liquids and electrolyte solutions. Molecular dynamics simulations and quantum chemical calculations are used to study inter-molecular interactions and chemical bonding. The links between the theoretical framework and spectroscopic probes are established by ab initio spectrum calculations. Thereby, we can clarify the information content and obtain detailed molecular insights in the interpretation of X-ray spectra of electrolyte solution and energy-related materials. In many important applications, the active chromophores have transition metal centers, such as the metallo-organic complexes employed in artificial photo-synthesis or dye-sensitized solar-cells, for which X-ray spectroscopy contains valuable electronic information on the chemical bonding. In L-edge X-ray absorption (XA) and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) of transition metal compounds, core-excitations from the 2p-levels into the d-levels, and the subsequent fluorescence decay back into the core-hole, can be monitored. Thereby, we can obtain a complete mapping of the electronic valance responsible for the chemical bonding and photo-chemistry. L-edge spectroscopy of transition metal compounds is particularly challenging to model due to multiplicity effects and strong spin-orbit coupling. Hence, we need an accurate theoretical tool to extract the information on electronic structure. We employ a multi-configurational self-consistent field (SCF) method, with which we are able to tackle realistic models of large metal complexes...

Rare-earth manganites with orthorhombically distorted perovskite structure, RMnO₃ with R being a trivalent rare-earth ion, have been subject to intensive studies since the multiferroic phases, in which magnetism and ferroelectricity simultaneously emerge, were found in some of these materials. Recently it has become possible to grow a single crystal film of orthorhombic YMnO₃ by choosing (010) plane of YAlO₃ as a substrate. We performed resonant soft x-ray scattering measurements and succeeded in determining the magnetic structures of YMnO₃ thin films [1].

Figure 1 shows the temperature dependence of the magnetic (0, 1/2, 0) peak in p (a) and s (b) polarizations. The observed temperature-dependent incommensurabilities are not consistent with the proposed E-type antiferromagnetic states, and rather support the ab-cycloidal structures. Together with the azimuthal-angle dependence, we conclude that the magnetic (0, 1/2, 0) peak comes from the spin components parallel to the c axis due to the slight spin canting along c.

Spin effects normally are seen either in magnetic materials or in systems containing heavy atoms that facilitate spin-orbit coupling. We report spin-selective transmission of electrons through self-assembled monolayers of double-stranded DNA. The spin polarization exceeds 60% at room temperature.The spin filtration efficiency depended on the length of the DNA. In addition, we show that conduction through double stranded DNA oligomers is spin selective, demonstrating a true organic spin filter. The selectivity exceeds that of any known system at room temperature.The spin dependent resistivity indicates that the effect cannot result solely from the atomic spin-orbit coupling and must relate to a special property resulting from the chirality symmetry. A theoretical model indicates that the spin selectivity is related to relative narrow resonances through which the electrons are transmitted. Based on the theory new type of spintronics devices are constructed. The results may reflect on the importance of spin in determining electron transfer rates through biological systems.

When working at the L_2,3 absorption edges of 3d transition metals (3dTM), resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) provides an element and site selective access to electronic excitations (e.g. crystal field and charge transfer) and spin related excitations (e.g. magnons), in a very powerful and direct way. Using the AXES (SAXES) spectrometers at the ID08 (ADRESS) beam line of the ESRF (Swiss Light Source, SLS) we have measured the magnetic and dd excitations in several 3dTM systems, including insulating and superconducting cuprates. I will present some examples of dispersing [1,2,3] and non-dispersing [4] magnetic excitations, and some studies based on the detection of dd (crystal field) excitations [5,6,7]. I will also present more recent data on YBCO where the intensity of the elastic component of the RIXS spectra has been monitored, revealing charge fluctuations in the underdoped regime [8]. In all cases high energy resolution and optimized photon flux is a prerequisite for meaningful measurements. The most recent results have also indicated that a full control of the sample orientation is important for a careful exploration of the reciprocal space. This motivates the new RIXS projects under realization at various x-rays sources, not only at synchrotrons (ESRF, NSLS II, Diamond, MAX IV) but also at X-FELS (LCLS, European XFEL).

A novel restricted open shell configuration interaction approach to the calculation of transition metal L-edges is introduced. The presented method is based on a Kohn-Sham density functional reference determinant for the entire molecular system (or cluster model) and accounts for spin-orbit coupling via quasi-degenerate perturbation theory. This procedure is the molecular equivalent of Russell-Saunders or LS coupling in atomic spectroscopy. In the configuration interaction part of the approach a parameterization scheme with three parameters is used. These three parameters were obtained from optical spectroscopy and are universally applicable. Hence there are no disposable parameters that could be adjusted to fit experimental X-ray absorption spectra. Hence, the approach classifies as a predictive first-principles method rather than an analysis tool. A series of calculations on transition metal compounds is investigated and the results are compared in detail to experimental data. The series of investigated compounds comprises coordination compounds of copper, titanium, iron and nickel in various oxidation and spin states. In most cases the approach yields good to excellent agreement with the experiment. Applications to the field of solid states and heterogneous catalysis will also be discussed.

First GRC on Scientific Methods in Cultural Heritage Research - Non-destructive imaging and microanalysis in cultural heritage
This conference seeks to foster the dialogue between those pushing the boundaries on methods and instrumentation and researchers in cultural heritage. Research in this field not only increases our understanding of ancient technology, artist intent, deterioration processes, and preservation strategies, it also has clear impact in the humanities, basic science, and science education. This conference will focus on the investigation of materials relevant to cultural heritage at multiple scales with an emphasis on microanalysis and imaging techniques and on opportunities at large scale facilities. Recent and upcoming developments in techniques such as hyperspectral imaging, Terahertz spectroscopy, tomography, elemental and molecular analysis using photons, neutrons and ions at large scale facilities as well as new labsize sources will be discussed.

This Advanced Seminar will address a wide scientific community with the aim to identify the real scientific drivers requiring novel and extreme conditions and to determine how the neutron scattering techniques could contribute. Scientists not necessarily coming from the neutron scattering community will be brought together with engineers and instrument specialists. Scientists will present the needs and raise questions to be addressed by the instrument specialists and engineers. From these discussions, we hope that novel and extreme sample environment equipment and instruments will be discussed so that new scientific areas will later benefit from neutron scattering techniques.

Organized by ICMA and ILL

The 2012 International Conference on Highly Frustrated Magnetism will be held at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada from June 4-8, 2012. This international conference will focus on recent developments in the study of the phenomena of frustration in magnets. It will feature presentations reporting on experimental and theoretical studies of frustrated magnetism, in all of its manifestations.

This conference follows in the series of HFM 2010 (Baltimore, USA), HFM 2008 (Braunschweig, Germany), HFM 2006 (Osaka, Japan), HFM 2003 (Grenoble, France), and HFM 2000 (Waterloo, Canada).

Dear Colleagues,
it is our pleasure to invite you to participate to the 16th edition of the international conference "Solid State Protonic Conductors" (SSPC16), which will be held in Grenoble, France, in the period 10-14 September, 2012.

SSPC conferences are devoted to solid state protonics, a lively research field with focus on fundamental mechanisms and ultimate applications of proton transport through solid materials.

SSPC16 will put special attention to the use of modern scattering techniques (Neutrons/X-rays) for studying properties of novel energy materials. The conference will benefit from the unique scientific environment of Grenoble, including world-class large scale facilities as the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) and the Laue Langevin Institut (ILL).

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Grenoble in September 2012.

The local organizing committee

We are pleased to announce that QENS 2012 and WINS 2012 will be held in Nikko, Japan as a joint conference. Nikko is one of UNESCO's world hertiage sitesheritages in Japan, famous for the a most lavishly decorated shrine and the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate.

On behalf of the Australian and New Zealand small-angle scattering communities, I am delighted to invite you to attend the 15th International Small-Angle Scattering conference (SAS 2012), in the beautiful city of Sydney, Australia from 18 - 23 November 2012.

The Organising Committee is dedicated to providing a contemporary and dynamic feel to SAS 2012 with exciting social events and networking opportunities combined with high quality science in a spectacular setting. We will be showcasing talent from the next generation of small-angle scatterers as well as highlighting emerging areas of the field.

The conference will be held at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre on the waterfront of the magnificent Darling Harbour precinct and close to the heart of the city. This is the first time the event has been held in this region and it is our intention to make it a world-class conference for all delegates both professionally and socially.

I look forward to welcoming you to Sydney in November 2012.

Regards, Dr Elliot Gilbert (Chairman)