Workshop on Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy

October 30 - Agenda has been updated.

An international workshop is being organized by the Jülich Center of Neutron Science (JCNS) and the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) to discuss current status and future trends of science driving the development of the Neutron Spin Echo (NSE) spectrometer in commissioning at the Spallation Neutron Source. The Spallation Neutron Source offers unique capabilities both with respect to the pulsed operation of instruments and its power. It is the first time that a spin echo spectrometer has been build at such a source. This spectrometer offers some innovative components like fully compensated superconducting coils and a magnetic shield reducing its sensitivity to stray fields, as well as new developed correction elements for wider detector coverage. This two-day event workshop will celebrate the completion of its construction phase and will present invited and contributed talks on neutron spin echo related science challenging scientist all over the globe.

Due to the unique properties of neutrons, investigations to reveal structure and dynamics of polymers, colloids, polymer interfaces, composite polymer materials, bio-compatible and bio-mimetic structures, polymer glasses and polymer nanostructures have delivered significant insight into soft matter physics and soft matter molecular structure. Subsequently, this workshop is mainly focused on soft matter but should offer a discussion basis for new developments in this field, too. The workshop will have the following sessions:

• Introduction and the SNS-NSE
• Biophysics
• Complex Fluids
• Polymer dynamics
• New Trends and directions

As scientific applications for the Neutron Spin Echo Spectrometer are mainly expected to come from soft matter research, for which the instrument is designed, users will be attracted from all fields of modern condensed matter and material science, too. One major role of this instrument is to be a unique facility to analyze slow dynamical processes and thereby to unravel molecular motions and dynamics at the nano- and mesoscale level. This feature is of utmost relevance for “soft matter” problems which occur in research fields as molecular rheology of polymer melts, related phenomena in networks and rubbers, interface fluctuations in complex fluids, polyelectrolytes, transport in polymeric electrolytes and gel systems. In biophysics, the molecular dynamics of proteins, phospholipid membranes and other biomolecules is gaining in importance. The still improving capabilities of molecular dynamics calculations which meanwhile extend into the multi nanosecond time domain allow for a detailed comparison with neutron scattering results. For detailed information on this instrument, view the NSE instrument page.

The following invited speakers have already accepted:

• Arantxa Arbe, University Basque Country
• Ralf Biehl, Jülich Center for Neutron Science
• Dobrin Bossev, Indiana University
• Sow-Hsin Chen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Toshi Kanaya, Kyoto University
• Michael Kilbey, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Eugene Mamontov, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Ferenc Mezei, Los Alamos National Laboratory
• Simon Mochrie, Yale University
• Michael Monkenbusch, Jülich Center for Neutron Science
• Katia Pappas, Delft University of Technology
• Maikel Rheinstadter, McMaster
• Dieter Richter, Jülich Center for Neutron Science
• Jeremy Smith, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• Alexei Sokolov, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and University of Tennessee
• Norman Wagner, University of Delaware
• Michael Gradzielski, Technische Universität, Berlin

Jülich Centre for Neutron Science has designed and constructed this time of flight spin-echo spectrometer. Applications for beam time are welcome and can be submitted twice each year; see "Call for Proposals" (PDF file) for details.