Subject Groups
The Neutron Scattering Group
The Neutron Scattering Group was formed in 1972 to provide a service to scientists interested in the use of neutron scattering for the study of condensed matter. The Group is also affiliated to The Royal Society of Chemistry, although the Institute in practice provides most of the administrative assistance.
The use of neutron scattering as a means of studying the structure and dynamics of systems has grown continuously since neutrons became available in reasonable quantities from research reactors and accelerators. In this country the field has been extensively supported by the CCLRC, by both the provision of facilities at the high flux beam reactor (ILL) in Grenoble and the pulsed neutron source (ISIS) at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire. At present the ILL is supported by the EPSRC directly as the UK Associate whereas ISIS is supported indirectly via research grants awards from EPSRC, BBSRC and NERC to individual researchers, and bilateral international agreements. A wide range of experimental techniques and research possibilities are now available not only to UK scientists but to scientists from abroad. Such research facilities foster closer international scientific participation and collaboration.
A principal function of the Group is to disseminate information about the neutron facilities available to as wide an audience as possible, particularly to newer entrants to the field and to those who work in related subjects but who may wish to make use of neutron scattering techniques from time to time. This function is fulfilled by the circulation of a Newsletter to Group members two or three times a year and by the organization of informal, one, two or three-day meetings/conferences covering various aspects of neutron scattering. These may range from the more fundamental aspects of condensed matter research to applied neutron scattering with increased participation from industrial concerns. The Group is also committed to holding a regular introductory summer school to cover the basic theory and techniques which have recently been developed. These are held alongside alternative summer schools, held in the intervening years, on more advanced neutron topics. The venue for such events generally alternates between UK universities and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Recent summer schools have produced a number of useful textbooks which have been widely distributed. It is also intended that the Group, from time to time, is associated with more general conferences organized in connection with other Groups or Societies allowing the comparison of neutron scattering methods with those of other techniques.
The pages for the Group are currently being transferred to the new Institute of Physics website. Until this process is complete the original pages for the Group can be accessed here.