ISIS Physics Science Highlights

Physics Science Highlights

From ancient artifacts to future technologies; atomic scales to astrophysics, physics at ISIS Neutron and Muon Source covers a diverse range of science and has a huge crossover with our other science topics. Developing future energy devices, creating green solvents for industry, studying archaeological artefacts or stress in aircraft wings – all of these could be described as physics.

Since neutrons and muons can study where the atoms are and what they are doing in almost any solid or liquid, the techniques have an amazing versatility. Physics research at ISIS Neutron and Muon Source inlcues research into magnetism, structure , superconductivity and semiconductors. You can browse all our physics science highlights below:

Investigating the phase transition of a Kitaev quantum spin liquid
ISIS scientist Frank Kruger and PhD student Huanzhi Hu have used theoretical modelling to study a crucial phase transition in this novel and exotic state of matter.
Unexpected phenomenon seen in conventional superconducting material
Time reversal symmetry breaking has been observed in a conventional superconductor, challenging existing theories on how it occurs.
ISIS instruments put experimentalists in the driving seat
Using the unique capabilities of neutron and muon instruments at ISIS, a team from the Germany, Switzerland, Canada, the UK and USA have been able to characterise the phases of a complex magnetic material.
Steering skyrmion strings using a thermal gradient
Researchers from ShanghaiTech, Diamond Light Source, ISIS and the University of Oxford have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of magnetic skyrmions.
Weaker bonds lead to improved thermoelectric performance
By substituting copper or silver for zinc in a thermoelectric material, an international group of researchers have found that this weakens the ionic bonds present, leading to reduced thermal conductivity: an important property for thermoelectric materials
Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy could be a powerful technique in the development of neutron dosimetry
A team of researchers from Italy have tested a miniaturised device using Surface-Enhanced Raman spectroscopy with VESUVIO, a technique, which could be an important tool for nuclear medicine, aerospace, and security applications.
Cycle Highlights - Summer 2023
As always, this ISIS experimental cycle has been an incredible, varied display of scientific experiments! Let us take a look back at some of the work our users were investigating this time…
First neutrons for the MIGDAL experiment at ISIS
The Migdal In Galactic Dark mAtter expLoration (MIGDAL) experiment, led by the STFC Particle Physics Department and Imperial College London, was constructed at Nile in May 2023 to support dark matter searches involving the so-called ‘Migdal’ effect.
Testing spacecraft circuit board endurance from across the Atlantic
A team from Brigham Young University (BYU), USA visited ISIS this cycle, to test complex computer processor and memory systems used in spacecraft computers, to achieve a better understanding as to how they fail and how to make them more reliable.
Exotic magnetic phase could put next-generation computing on an upward spiral
Experimental evidence of rare magnetic behaviour in LiYbO2 will help to open the door to a new family of materials with potential applications in spintronics, quantum computing and more.
Science Impact Award 2023
The winner of the science award is Dr Minu Kim from the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, for their work investigating a new class of superconductor.
Cycle Highlights!
During our last cycle the users were pulling out all the stops in every corner of science. Here are just a few select highlights of the research we have had going on at the facility during the last couple of months.
Designing metal-organic frameworks to host quantum magnetic phases
A chemical design route has been identified towards creating a host material for the theoretically predicted but experimentally unrealised S = 2 Haldane phase, a prototypical topological state of matter.
Exploring the concept of octahedral spin ices
ISIS scientists have used computational modelling to investigate whether a spin ice can be formed in a material that takes an octahedral geometry.
Understanding the feasibility of ‘magnetic graphene’
Only by using neutron instruments from across the globe have researchers been able to characterise the magnetism of a graphene-like material.
Spin fluctuations: another piece in the superconducting puzzle
Researchers have studied the magnetic behaviour of a cuprate superconductor and may have explained some of the unusual properties of the conduction electrons.
A research adventure that led to a “technically perfect” study
Scientists using the WISH beamline have demonstrated that a rather simple material can become multiferroic at room temperature.
Understanding silicon photovoltaics one muon at a time
Researchers at ISIS have been investigating a new technique for characterising the charge carrier lifetime of silicon substances, such as those used in solar cells.
Combining techniques to explore a curious quantum ground state
By using muon spectroscopy, inelastic neutron scattering and other techniques, researchers have been able to characterise the quantum ground state of a perovskite material.
Mapping the magnetic behaviour of an iron-based superconductor
The detailed phase diagram of a superconducting material has been fully mapped out, thanks to a combination of neutron and muon experiments.
Using SANS to study skyrmions
Researchers investigate the behaviour of samples with magnetic skyrmions to annalyse their formation mechanism.
Neutrons enable the distinction between single-k and multi-k structures
Researchers show that it is possible to distinguish between single-k and multi-k structures without the need for single crystals or external fields.
Finding a quantum state in a natural mineral
Using muon spin spectroscopy, researchers have found new evidence that the mineral, szenicsite, is dominated by the novel quantum state known as the Majumdar-Ghosh point.
Investigating the origins of unconventional superconductivity
Muons are ideal probes for studying unconventional superconducting materials, demonstrated by two recent publications studying the origins of time reversal symmetry breaking.
Showing the value of using a full toolbox of techniques for evaluating quantum materials
Only by using the combination of polarised neutron reflectometry, X-ray spectroscopy and magnetotransport have researchers been able to characterise individual layers of a potential candidate for building future quantum computers.
Understanding magnetism by using both neutrons and X-rays
By combining neutron diffraction studies with inelastic neutron and x-ray scattering experiments, researchers have been able to rationalise the complex properties of a magnetic material.
Magnetic excitations for information transfer without heat loss
Just as electrons flow through an electrical conductor, magnetic excitations can travel through certain materials. Such excitations, known as "magnons" in analogy to the electron, could transport information much more easily than electrical conductors.
Nine-year mystery over unusual low-temperature behaviour of topological magnets explained by distinctive electronic structure
The low temperature electronic and magnetic behaviour of materials hosting a topological magnetic state known as a soliton has been explained with the help of muon-spin spectroscopy experiments made at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source.
The Devon vs Cornwall cream tea debate – but for spintronic systems
It’s a longstanding debate in Britain as to whether you should spread jam or cream first on your scones. Researchers have found that the order in which you assemble magnetic and superconducting materials also makes a difference.
Rare coupling of electronic and lattice degrees of freedom observed
Using multiple techniques, an international research collaboration has found evidence of coupling between electronic and lattice degrees of freedom: a very rare phenomenon
Twenty years on, neutron data help scientists to witness “spooky” entanglement in quantum magnets
Using ISIS data from an experiment in 2000, researchers have demonstrated the viability of a “quantum entanglement witness” capable of proving the presence of entanglement between magnetic particles, or spins, in a quantum material.
Layering Up
Using muons, researchers have been able to identify layers of different quantum spin liquid phases present in the same material.
Maximising beamtime using applied statistics
An industrial placement student working in the reflectometry group has created a framework that will help users make the most of their neutron beam time.
Understanding Topological Insulators to Build the Next Generation of Electronics
Using MuSR, Professor Patnaik from Jawaharlal Nehru University, cracked how to study fundamental properties of topological superconductors.
New compact neutron sources at ISIS: from driverless cars to dark matter
Two new desktop fusion devices are being installed at ISIS for testing the effects of cosmic rays and space weather on electronics, and supporting the search for dark matter.
Introducing impurities to induce spin textures
For the first time, researchers have been able to produce exotic spin states in magnetic materials by introducing impurities.
Using buckyballs to create new superconducting systems
Researchers have been able to tune superconducting correlations by introducing molecular interfaces made of carbon.
Combining techniques to uncover unexpected magnetic correlations
Antiferromagnetic correlations in the presence of strong valence fluctuations in CeIrSn have been confirmed using a range of techniques including muon spectroscopy and inelastic neutron scattering.
Researchers develop algorithm to see inside materials with subatomic particles
The first ever study to look at muon spectroscopy using machine learning.
Finding a quantum spin liquid in a distorted honeycomb
A group of researchers used the MuSR, MERLIN and WISH instruments, along with theoretical modeling, to investigate the unconventional magnetism in a honeycomb oxide material.
Insights into Chiral Superconductors
Topological superconductors (SCs) are novel phases of matter, potentially useful in fault-tolerant quantum computation.
Random model realised in quantum material
For the first time, researchers have observed experimentally a randomly ordered quantum magnetic phase.
Could rotating molecules be the key to designing Quantum Spin Liquids?
Researchers have discovered a new way of designing quantum spin liquids; exotic materials that may impact on areas as diverse as IT and superconductivity
Probing vibrational modes in an organic semiconductor using neutrons
ISIS scientists have used inelastic neutron scattering to study the low energy vibrational modes of the organic semiconductor TCNQ.
Noncollinear magnetic order of a new magnetoelectric material determined by neutron diffraction
The magnetic structure of an unusual magnetoelectric compound has been determined by combining single-crystal neutron diffraction and direction-dependent magnetic susceptibility.
Fine tuning of the magnetic properties within thin films
Using ion beams at different intensities leads to depth selective control over which magnetic phase is present in FeRh thin films.
Understanding hidden magnetic phases
Characterising a quantum spin liquid candidate
Using MuSR, the magnetic behaviour of Zn-barlowite has been characterised, highlighting its potential as a quantum spin liquid.
Muons show weak magnetism in a high capacitance, low loss dielectric material
One material - two ground states
How big is a proton? Muons may have the answer…
A complex muon experiment is being set up at ISIS to solve the “proton radius puzzle” and resolve ongoing queries surrounding the size of a proton.
Decoding decoherence
Quantum information leaks away from a muon implanted in a fluoride crystal
Revisiting magnetism for brain-like computers
Back in 2012, we highlighted work done by Professor Christopher Marrows towards developing a new type of computer architecture that operates in the same way as a human brain. We got back in contact with him to speak about how his work has progressed.
Controlling a beamline from across the Atlantic
With ISIS now operating under remote access, users are running experiments from their own institutions, including a group who have been “on” HiFi while remaining in Canada.
Students develop software for use on IMAT
Through a series of summer placements, and an MSc project, the BEAn software has been developed for IMAT by students working at ISIS under beamline scientists’ guidance and supervision.
First bulk observation of helical ordering of electric dipoles
A study led by ISIS researchers in collaboration with University College London, the University of Oxford and the Japanese National Institute of Materials Science has uncovered emergent helical texture of electric dipoles in the solid state.
Offspec searches for spin-gravity coupling
A research collaboration has used a unique set up on Offspec to look for any spin-gravity interaction experienced by the neutron beam.
Studying unconventional superconductors using muons
A recent review paper looks at unconventional superconductors that spontaneously break time-reversal symmetry, an extremely unusual and rare phenomenon, and highlights the importance of muon spectroscopy in measuring such materials.
Long-standing quantum physics prediction proven: Bethe strings experimentally observed
Ninety years after physicist Hans Bethe postulated the existence of unusual patterns in magnetic solids, known as Bethe strings, an international research team has experimentally detected them for the first time.
LET distinguishes coherent and incoherent low energy scattering for the first time
Combining polarization analysis with the unique capabilities of the LET spectrometer has enabled the distinction between the single-particle and collective dynamics of deuterated water for the first time.
Phonon dispersions measured for the first time in prototype molecular qubit
Using state-of-the-art single crystal inelastic neutron scattering on LET, a group of researchers has measured, for the first time, phonon dispersions in a prototypical molecular qubit.
Neutrons reveal quantum liquid of octupoles
Experiments on MAPS, MERLIN and GEM have identified a quantum liquid of magnetic octupoles formed by a cerium-based compound.
IMAT measures Martian meteorites
A collaboration of scientists from Lund, Glasgow and the Natural History Museum came to IMAT last week to map the hydrous phases of Martian meteorites in 3D.
Microscopic Neutron Entanglement
Researchers from ISIS and their global collaborators have developed a new quantum probe. The beam of entangled neutrons has the potential to reveal quantum correlations in materials.
Developing a transferable theoretical framework for magnetic exchange in asymmetric lanthanide dimetallics
Muons find magnetic order in materials for spintronics and multiferroics
Probing helimagnetic correlations in a doped chiral magnet
Neutron studies explain anomalies in a Weyl semimetal
Neutron spectroscopy of magnetic fluctuations in a charge-ordered antiferromagnet
A neutron analysis of a promising magnonics material
Using neutrons to measure the helix pitch for calculating the Topological Hall Effect
Combining insights from neutrons and muons to explain magnetic transitions.
Using muon spin relaxation experiments on EMU and HiFi alongside neutron powder diffraction on WISH has enabled the characterisation of the complex phases of a metamagnetic shape memory alloy: a material that can produce force under a magnetic field.
Examining the interplay between magnetism and topology
Solving a tantalising Tantalum mystery
A team of Slovenian researchers undertook muon-spin-relaxation measurements to probe an exotic quantum state.
Probing the underlying physics in quantum spin ladders
An international team of researchers has used high-resolution inelastic neutron scattering to investigate a quantum spin ladder material.
Tuning desirable properties in strongly-correlated metals
An international team of researchers has used high-resolution neutron spectroscopy to probe a strongly correlated metal.
The structural and magnetic properties of thin-film yttrium iron garnet
A team of researchers has used a variety of techniques to study the structural and magnetic properties of single crystal thin-film yttrium iron garnet.
Spontaneous decay of a soft optical phonon
An international team of researchers has used the Merlin neutron spectrometer to investigate specific phonon lifetimes.
Helical magnetic structures helter-skeltering towards skyrmion-based low energy data storage and logic processing.
Using neutrons to measure the helix pitch for calculating of the topological Hall effect (THE)
Simulated moon dust on ChipIr
Scientists from the European Space Agency (ESA) and DLR-Cologne are using ChipIr to study lunar soil analogues to investigate their potential use for radiation shielding of future lunar habitats.
Under pressure: neutron diffraction helps unlock the secrets of ice
Given that it makes up 60% of our bodies and is one of the most abundant molecules in the universe it’s no wonder that water is known as the “matrix of life”. However water, and ice, exhibits a range of complex properties that are not well understood.
Testing the robustness of space electronics against more than 100,000 years’ worth of neutrons
Of the many challenges involved in space travel the threat of high energy neutrons may have never crossed your mind. But these subatomic particles can disrupt the electronics that space missions rely on, so we must thoroughly test their impact.
Muons provide a new method for measuring excess carrier lifetime in bulk silicon
Silicon wafers are one of the workhorses of the electronic age, widely used in integrated circuits and many photosensitive devices.
Neutrons prove the perfect tool for understanding correlated electron systems
Inelastic neutron scattering makes it possible to measure and theoretically account for the dynamic magnetic susceptibility arising from correlated electron bands
The power of Metal-Organic Frameworks – collaborative research at Harwell Campus paves the way for innovation
From using Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) to trap nuclear waste to evidencing the first liquid MOF, pioneering research involving Diamond Light Source and ISIS Neutron and Muon Source is advancing our understanding of these remarkable materials.
Fingerprints of Mn12: the forefather of Molecular Nanomagnets
Single-molecule magnets offer great potential as a future technology for data storage. In these systems each molecule is able to host a bit of information, pushing the storage capability of our devices to the singular molecular level.
Investigating the magnetic field – temperature phase diagram of MnSi: it’s not easy to untwist!
Neutron scattering has allowed researchers to investigate the magnetic phase diagram of the chiral magnet MnSi in depth, leading to results that challenge established approaches to chiral magnetism.
Yttrium Iron Garnet – a gemstone that could revolutionise how we transfer information
Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) is an artificial Garnet (similar to the semiprecious stone) used in various microwave, acoustic, and optical devices.
Majorana fermions in α-Ruthenium(III) chloride
There’s considerable interest in fundamental magnetism at the moment, with the use of topological concepts (mathematical techniques which won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics) allowing us to study unusual phases, or states, of matter.
Using Vibrations to Understand the Detailed Dynamics of Metal-Organic Frameworks
New research using spectroscopy and theory investigates what vibrational modes can tell us about of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Understanding the behaviour of MOFs is important for their potential use in technologies that may benefit society.
The past, present and future of inelastic neutron scattering
The use of electron-volt neutron spectroscopy in materials research is a growing area of neutron science, capitalizing upon the unique insights provided by epithermal neutrons on the behaviour and properties of an increasing number of complex materials.
Evidence of topological excitations in a quantum magnet
Condensed matter physics is the study of how matter can organise itself. The different forms a material can take are called phases, and these phases determine the properties of the material – for example metals, magnets, insulators or superconductors.
Effects of cosmic ray irradiation on organic electronics for aviation
Minimising payload is vital in aviation and space applications, and one option is to replace conventional inorganic electronics with organic-based devices.
Solitary magnons in calcium ferrate
Materials that display localised electronic or magnetic behaviour are of wide interest in physics. One reason is that they can provide insights into unusual quantum phenomena, as seen in single molecular magnets for example.
A spin density wave state in strontium ruthenate
The search for novel states of matter have led many researchers to focus on layered oxide metals. These contain planes of atoms which dominate the electrical conduction.
Testing a “model” magnetic system
Many real magnetic materials are called “model” systems, meaning they are believed to be good test candidates for understanding new physical phenomena.
New magnetic phase discovered in iron-based superconductors
Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have discovered a previously unknown phase in a class of superconductors called iron arsenides using ISIS.
ISIS helps CERN experiment test the Standard Model of Particle Physics
Nobel prize winning physicist Leon Lederman once described his ambition “To see all of physics reduced to a formula so elegant and simple that it will fit easily on the front of a t-shirt.”
New insights into high temperature superconductors
Superconductors are materials where below a certain critical temperature (Tc) all electrical resistance disappears. Discovered in 1911, superconductors have the potential to revolutionise the ways in which we store and transport electricity.
ISIS: Making Muons for a quarter of a century.
To mark the publication of a special edition of Physica Scripta, ISIS muons for materials and molecular sciences, ISIS looks back on the last 25 years of muons and their achievements.
When is a ferroelectric not a ferroelectric?
Ferroelectrics are insulating materials with an electrical polarisation that can be switched by an applied voltage. Ferroelectricity cannot occur in metals because polarisation would be screened by the conduction electrons.
Magnetic frustration in SrHo2O4 - Mantid helps WISH deliver on single crystals
Magnetic frustration stems from the inability of magnetic systems to simultaneously minimise the energy of all interactions in the system in order to reach a unique ground state.
Solving a 20 Year Mystery: The Frustrating Case of ß-Manganese
Manganese is a common element, the 12th most abundant element in the Earth's crust. It’s essential to all forms of life, and used in industrial processes such as steel production.
Molecules make the perfect filling for a superconducting sandwich
Since the discovery in 2008 of superconducting materials based on iron there has been intense research into how their superconducting critical temperature can be increased.
A new family of unconventional superconductors?
A collaboration between theorists and experimentalists in the UK have proposed a new family of unconventional nickel-based superconductors.
Researchers using ISIS neutron and muon beams win prestigious Europhysics prize
The 2012 Europhysics Prize for condensed matter physics has been awarded to...
Giant improper ferroelectricity is discovered in the ferroaxial magnet, CaMn7O12
Neutron diffraction studies at ISIS have given scientists new insights into the nature of certain magnetic materials, work that has led to a major breakthrough in the field of multiferroics.
Antiferromagnetic tendencies in superconducting LiFeAs.
Superconductors are widely used to provide high magnetic fields for many applications. The material, LiFeAs, was studied as a member of a family of iron-based superconductors.
Low energy spin-gap studies of LiErF4
The high resolution of the new LET instrument enables scientist to investigate materials in order to answer fundamental questions in quantum physics.
Mapping out a quantum spin liquid
Muons are used to probe the magnetic properties of a phase that is of great interest to physicists.
Let probes excitations in a quantum Ising chain
The newly commissioned Let spectrometer on the ISIS Second Target Station, combined with the vertical-opening 9 T magnet and dilution refrigerator insert, offers unparalleled opportunities for probing atomic dynamics with high resolution and wide coverage
Using neutrons to probe electron clouds in crystals
Neutron scattering proves to be a useful way of investigating the behaviour of electron clouds.
Good chemistry between magnetism and superconductivity
Superconductive and magnetic materials, a rare combination, have been brought together and ISIS muons have been used to investigate the result for the first time.
Understanding the role of oxygen vacancies in a spintronics semiconductor
Electron-doped europium oxide (EuO) is a semiconductor which undergoes a simultaneous ferromagnetic and metal-to-insulator phase transition, across which the resistivity drops by 8 to 13 orders of magnitude.
Slow magnetic crossover in the frustrated magnet Ca3Co2O6
A powder diffraction study reveals an unexpected structural transformation of the compound Ca3Co2O6 below 12K.
Muonium and hydrogen centres in sulphur
Muon level-crossing resonance and supercell calculations show how ion-implanted muons and protons create molecular radicals that can switch conformation on subnanosecond timescales and initiate polysulphide generation.
Muons explore a new plateau
Dynamics of a frustrated magnet revealed
Molecular magnets at crossing point
First detection of an energy level crossing in a molecular nanomagnet with implanted muons.
Molecular magnets at a crossing point
First detection of an energy level crossing in a molecular nanomagnet with implanted muons.
Quantum mapmakers complete first voyage through spin liquid
Scientists from two of Oxfordshire’s leading research centres have completed the painstaking and careful mapping of the features of one of the most exotic states of matter in the universe found close to absolute zero in a particular example of a chemicall
Quantum melting of magnetic order in an Ising spin chain
The quantum phase transition paradigm for a 1D Ising chain placed in a transverse applied magnetic field has been realised experimentally for the first time, at ISIS.
Confinement phenomenon observed in spin ladders
Confinement is the binding of particles by an interaction whose strength grows with separation.
Strongly correlated alkali fullerides
Alkali-doped fullerides are the simplest type of high-Tc superconductors.
Magnetic excitation spectrum of Fe1+yTe1-xSex
The recent discovery of superconductivity with Tc up to 55 K in Fe-based materials has generated much excitement, yet the mechanism underpinning superconductivity in these ‘unconventional’ superconductors remains elusive.
Magnetricity
The transport of electrically charged quasiparticles (based on electrons, holes or ions) plays a pivotal role in modern technology as well as determining the essential function of biological organisms.
Structural studies of Ca-Mg-Zn bulk metallic glasses
Bulk metallic glasses have unique properties which offer potential developments for a wide range of technological applications.
Frustrated magnetism in superconducting fullerides
Researchers from the universities of Liverpool and Durham have used ISIS muons as part of a study published in this week’s Nature.
‘Magnetricity’ measured for the first time at ISIS
A magnetic charge can behave and interact just like an electric charge in some materials, according to new research conducted at ISIS and which could lead to a reassessment of current magnetism theories, as well as significant technological advances.
Puzzled physicists solve decade-long discrepancies
A team of physicists from ISIS and Brookhaven National Laboratory have resolved a decade-long puzzle.
Local environment of ferric iron in a silicate glass
The presence of iron in glassy materials, either as a ubiquitous impurity or as an intentional additive, affects important properties such as melt rheology, and optical and thermodynamic properties.
Strain at a phase transition in perovskite suppressed by cation disorder
Phase transitions in perovskites and their variants, of general formula ABX3, are important for technological applications and also of great interest in the earth sciences.
Spin glass order induced by dynamic frustration
Spin glasses (SG) are systems whose magnetic moments freeze at low temperature into random orientations
Magnetic order in copper pyrazine dinitrate
Low dimensional magnetism is a fascinating experimental testing ground for fundamental many body quantum physics.
Charge order to remove orbital degeneracy in triangular antiferromagnet AgNiO2
The layered hexagonal magnet AgNiO2 realizes a unique example of a triangular antiferromagnet with both spin and orbital moment (Ni3+ with one eg electron) and with metallic conductivity.
Pinch points and Kasteleyn transitions in Kagome ice
Spin ice is an example of a system in which thegeometry of the lattice produces frustration, i.e. if two neighbouring spins are mutually arranged a third neighbouring spin cannot be.
Iron pnictide superconductors: the impact of ISIS
The recent discovery of superconductivity in several iron- and arsenic-based compounds with critical temperatures as high as 55K has caused great excitement because they are the first non-copper-based high-temperature superconductors.
Double exchange from valence fluctuations in magnetite
Magnetite (Fe3O4) is one of the most ancient and technologically important magnetic materials.
A new candidate for spin liquid physics
In most common magnetic ground states, the moments of atoms in crystals order because of interactions with their neighbours.
Superconductors take a spin
Experiments at ISIS suggest that magnetic interactions may be the cause of high-temperaturesuperconductivity.
Magnets reveal their exotic quantum side
A heavy-metal magnet shows intriguing behaviour in which unusual quantum effects come into play.
Frustration!
Minerals prefer to form a perfectly ordered crystal structure when they are cooled, but for some this is a hard task.
Hotter means smaller!
Most materials expand when they are heated, but a few do exactly the opposite and contract. Recent work at ISIS has helped to explain this puzzling phenomenon by studying the way that the atoms move.
Superfluidity and Bose-Einstein Condensation in solid helium
Searching for superfluidity in solids.
The surprising magnetism of azurite
New magnetic effects discovered in paint pigment.
Isotope effects on water structure
Studying the properties of heavy water
John Hubbard’s challenge 45 years on
Complementarity of condensed matter and cold atom experiments
A step up the cuprate ladder?
The complete magnetic excitation spectrum of a cuprate compound, measured for the first time.
Negative thermal expansion in zirconium tungstate
Negative thermal expansion, a property whereby a material contracts when it is heated, is important for varied applications from ceramic cooker hobs to high precision optical components
Coupling of orbital, spin, and lattice degrees of freedom in Tl2Ru2O7
Phase transitions
New insights into INVAR systems through µSR
Investigation into the INVAR effect
Hydrogen doping of colloidal quantum dots
The promising applications of semiconductor nanocrystals
Case study: When the chips are down
ISIS is helping aerospace companies tackle the challenge of cosmic radiation and its damaging effect on microchips in aircraft.
Case study: Neutron science for next-generation computing
Neutron scientists at ISIS are helping to advance the digital economy through research into spintronics – an emerging technology which exploits the spin of electrons as well as their charge.