Three-day exchange at User Meeting
From December 12 to 14, more than 400 users of HZB's BER II and BESSY II large-scale equipment met up to discuss the current state of technology and exchange their views on pressing scientific issues. Two of the highlights were Science Day on December 13 and Neutron Day on December 14, both held at the Bunsensaal in Berlin-Adlershof. Both days, the focus was on instrumentation. Participants were able to learn about new technologies and advances in large-scale equipment instrumentation. Science Day featured the many scientific achievements that have been made thanks to BESSY II and BER II.
Holger Dau of the Free University Berlin delivered the keynote lecture titled "X-ray spectroscopy in solar-fuels research - from biology to inorganic catalysts." EMPA Zurich's Andreas Züttel gave the public lecture titled "What we learn from history to master the future energy challenge." The two lectures impressively highlighted the tremendous potential of large-scale equipment in energy research.
Science Day awards
On December 13, two awards were given out by the Helmholtz Centre Berlin Circle of Friends. Recipients of this year's 4000 Euro Synchrotron Radiation Innovation Award included DESY's and European X-FEL's Gianluca Geloni, Vitali Kocharyan, and Evgeni Saldin as well as Paul Emma of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The four physicists were being recognized for their development of a "self-seeding" protocol that significantly improves free-electron laser technology.
The Ernst-Eckhard-Koch Award for excellence in doctoral-level research in the amount of 2500 Euros went to up-and-coming physicist Dr. Daniil Evtushinsky of the Leibniz Institute for Solid Body and Materials Research in recognition of his work on band-structured and fermi areas of a new class of two-dimensional, high-temperature superconductors.
The HZB User Committee's Best Poster Award went to Christian Caspers of the Jülich Research Centre for the skillful presentation of his work on "Magnetic Oxides EuO Thin Films on Surface Passivated Silicon for Silicon Spintronics."
240 posters, 51 vendors
During the poster session in BESSY experimental hall, a total of 240 posters documented the work done by both HZB and external researchers using the HZB research facilities, with topics ranging from the life sciences and basic physics research to applied research on industrial materials. In addition, five satellite symposia sought to answer pertinent questions on neutron spectroscopy, crystallography, and related topics.
As in previous years, the user meeting featured a well-attended industry exhibit with 51 vendors of synchrotron spectroscopy and neutron diffraction experimental equipment showcasing a broad range of state-of-the-art products. Thanks to the vendors' generous financial support, the lavish "Berlin Buffet" on Thursday night, which offered yet another chance for conversation and networking, attracted many visitors. The organizers would like to thank Adlerhof con.vent, WISTA Management GmbH's event planners, for organizing the industry exhibit.
- Energy of charge carrier pairs in cuprate compoundsHigh-temperature superconductivity is still not fully understood. Now, an international research team at BESSY II has measured the energy of charge carrier pairs in undoped La₂CuO₄. Their findings revealed that the interaction energies within the potentially superconducting copper oxide layers are significantly lower than those in the insulating lanthanum oxide layers. These results contribute to a better understanding of high-temperature superconductivity and could also be relevant for research into other functional materials.
- Electrocatalysis with dual functionality – an overviewHybrid electrocatalysts can produce green hydrogen, for example, and valuable organic compounds simultaneously. This promises economically viable applications. However, the complex catalytic reactions involved in producing organic compounds are not yet fully understood. Modern X-ray methods at synchrotron sources such as BESSY II, enable catalyst materials and the reactions occurring on their surfaces to be analysed in real time, in situ and under real operating conditions. This provides insights that can be used for targeted optimisation. A team has now published an overview of the current state of knowledge in Nature Reviews Chemistry.
- BESSY II: Phosphorus chains – a 1D material with 1D electronic propertiesFor the first time, a team at BESSY II has succeeded in demonstrating the one-dimensional electronic properties in phosphorus. The samples consisted of short chains of phosphorus atoms that self-organise at specific angles on a silver substrate. Through sophisticated analysis, the team was able to disentangle the contributions of these differently aligned chains. This revealed that the electronic properties of each chain are indeed one-dimensional. Calculations predict an exciting phase transition to be expected as soon as these chains are more closely packed. While material consisting of individual chains with longer distances is semiconducting, a very dense chain structure would be metallic.