European Spallation Source On Tour

The Green Shirt Dinner

essatecns — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 21:43:32 +0000

Tonight the ESS staff participating in the IPAC conference in San Sebastián had its – now – traditional Green Shirt Dinner. The 16 ESS staff made a sea of green when walking the streets on the way to the restaurant.

Next year, the rumour has it, the colour will be pink.

A picture…

essatecns — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:32:00 +0000

Sometimes say more than… (part2)

Guess who is coming from ESS.

ESS associated speaker

essatecns — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:03:32 +0000

Right now, Christina Oyòn, is finishing her talk at the IPAC conference. In her talk she mentioned the interest shown from the industry to be part of the project and to harvest the future outcome from research made at ESS.

posted by Roger Eriksson

Reception

essatecns — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 08:25:55 +0000

The couple on this picture was totally unaware of the 500+ delegates gathering around them for a reception yesterday.

The food was, by the way, fantastic and the company as well. Not just for the couple.

Posted by
Roger Eriksson

A picture is…

essatecns — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:00:51 +0000

…worth a thousand words !

After a hard day at the exhibition Tina and Roger still have their humour intact !

Chinese visitors to the ESS stand

essatecns — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:57:09 +0000

We were treated to a talk this morning on the Chinese Spallation Source by Shinian Fu, project leader, to be built in Guangdong. Shinian Fu and Zhang Chuang came round to the (very popular !) ESS exhibit where this photograph was taken (by Roger Eriksson). Mats
Lindroos is the tallest guy in the photo. Roger himself was shocked to be approached by his namesake, Roger Erickson, who hails from the USA. Apparently there is a third Roger Ericckksson registered at the conference. If we can get them all together we will take a photo. Watch this space ! Colin Carlile (also on the photo)

ESS now at IPAC 2011 in San Sebastian

essatecns — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 15:57:53 +0000

The next stop on the ESS tour 2011 is the IPAC conference in San Sebastian, Spain.

You will find the ESS stand outside Hall 2 on level -1.

Welcome

Posted by
Roger Eriksson

Sine Larsen steps down as IUCr President

essatecns — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 12:02:46 +0000

After a busy week of networking, discussions, talks, exhibitions, and poster sessions, tomorrow is the last day of the triannual conference of the International Union of Crystallography. At the closing ceremony, the current President Sine Larsen, elected in 2008, will step down.

Sine Larsen is Professor at the Department of Chemistry, Copenhagen University. But for us at ESS, her role as the Director of the MAXIV-Laboratory is the most important.

ESS congratulates Sine Larsen to three successful years in the lead of IUCr!

Until 2014, Sine Larsen will remain in the IUCr Executive Committee as the immediate past president. She will also play a leading role in the IUCr preparations for the International Year of Crystallography, that will take place in 2013, in celebration of the first crystallographic experiments done in 1913.

The next President, Professor Gautam R. Desiraju, based at the Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, was elected last night during the General Assembly.

Posted by Marianne Ekdahl

Poster session talk on powder diffraction

essatecns — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 12:24:21 +0000

Paul Henry, ESS, and Reinhard Nebel, Ebelingen University, talking about the possibilities of powder diffraction at ESS, and different options for improving PD instrumentation while benefiting from the ESS neutron beam characteristics. At today’s poster session, where Paul is presenting the case for deuteration, which allows the precise localization of hydrogen and water in a complex sample.

Posted by Marianne Ekdahl

Life science and ESS detector work creates interest at IUCr

essatecns — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 10:28:30 +0000

After spending a couple of days at the IUCr, it seems clear to me that many scientists have never heard about the next generation neutron source being planned in Scandinavia. When we explain the ESS project, and the scientific motivation behind a long-pulse, cold neutron source, and especially the research potential for life science and protein research, the scientists visiting our exhibition stand are very positive. The positive response is really encouraging, but it is clear that we have a lot of work ahead of us in reaching out to more of the potential users.

Besides the research potential of ESS within life science, the other issue generating much interest is the promising ESS work on neutron detectors, particularly among the participating instrument scientists. Since the material of choice for neutron detectors, Helium-3, is now in short supply, alternative detector gases are being needed.

Therefore, the ESS detector group has started developing detectors exploiting thin films of boron-10, a very challenging work. The first prototype, developed in collaboration with ILL and Linköping University, turned out very promising, and work is now ongoing on a second prototype. The aim is to use the results to design a full-scale demonstrator detector in 2012.

If the ESS development of boron-10 detectors result in new detectors, as efficient as Helium-3 detectors, global neutron science might well get rid of a little headache!

Posted by Marianne Ekdahl