Traditional HZB Neutron School will be continued at ANSTO in Australia

The neutron school at ANSTO in cooperation with HZB experts could transfer knowledge and skills in neutron research.

The neutron school at ANSTO in cooperation with HZB experts could transfer knowledge and skills in neutron research. © ANSTO

This summer, researchers at the Australian neutron source ACNS organised a joint neutron school at Australia's Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation ANSTO. The HZB-ANSTO neutron school will take place every two years. 

The first joint HZB-ANSTO neutron school took place from 23 to 28 June 2019 at ANSTO. HZB experts Prof. Dr. Bella Lake and Prof. Dr. Susan Schorr held several lectures. The interest in the neutron school was high, 24 participants were selected from 60 applications. In addition to lectures, hands on trainings on three instruments of the neutron source ACNS at ANSTO have been offered.

“Certainly we were inspired by the all-encompassing nature of the Berlin school - I believe that our plan going forward would be to run a 'general' neutron school every two years and a more specific school in between," said Dr. Helen Maynard-Casely, one of the organisers at ANSTO. 

Shortly before the start of the neutron school, the SPATZ neutron reflectometer at ACNS was inaugurated. SPATZ, formerly known as BioRef at the BER II at HZB, is ideally suited for studies of soft matter in biomedicine, energy and materials. It was donated by HZB to ANSTO since the BER II neutron source will be shut down end of 2019.

In a short video, ANSTO presents SPATZ and its virtues.

arö


You might also be interested in

  • Neutron experiment at BER II reveals new spin phase in quantum materials
    Science Highlight
    18.03.2024
    Neutron experiment at BER II reveals new spin phase in quantum materials
    New states of order can arise in quantum magnetic materials under magnetic fields. An international team has now gained new insights into these special states of matter through experiments at the Berlin neutron source BER II and its High-Field Magnet. BER II served science until the end of 2019 and has since been shut down. Results from data at BER II are still being published.

  • Where quantum computers can score
    Science Highlight
    15.03.2024
    Where quantum computers can score
    The travelling salesman problem is considered a prime example of a combinatorial optimisation problem. Now a Berlin team led by theoretical physicist Prof. Dr. Jens Eisert of Freie Universität Berlin and HZB has shown that a certain class of such problems can actually be solved better and much faster with quantum computers than with conventional methods.
  • Unconventional piezoelectricity in ferroelectric hafnia
    Science Highlight
    26.02.2024
    Unconventional piezoelectricity in ferroelectric hafnia
    Hafnium oxide thin films are a fascinating class of materials with robust ferroelectric properties in the nanometre range. While their ferroelectric behaviour is extensively studied, results on piezoelectric effects have so far remained mysterious. A new study now shows that the piezoelectricity in ferroelectric Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 thin films can be dynamically changed by electric field cycling. Another ground-breaking result is a possible occurrence of an intrinsic non-piezoelectric ferroelectric compound. These unconventional features in hafnia offer new options for use in microelectronics and information technology.