LINXS hosts ESS in-kind project on polarized neutrons, co-led by New Materials theme leader, Elizabeth Blackburn

During the time period 2021–2025, part of the Swedish contribution to ESS will be used for in-kind deliveries, for example technical equipment or personnel, from Swedish universities to ESS. Four of these in-kind projects were approved by the Swedish Research Council in 2022. One of them, Neutron polarization capacity building for use in user experiments on ESS instruments, is co-led by the LINXS New Materials theme leader, Elizabeth Blackburn, and hosted by LINXS. A second project, entitled, Commissioning Researchers for the ODIN instrument, focused on developing the ODIN imaging instrument at ESS, is led by Stephen Hall, former LINXS Director.

Elizabeth Blackburn, is Professor at Synchrotron Radiation Research in Lund University, and the New Materials Theme leader.

– This opportunity fits nicely into the LINXS New Materials Theme, which focuses on new materials for energy and sustainability. Polarized neutrons are a great tool for really getting to grips with dynamics in these materials. We will also be contributing towards improving the future instrumentation at ESS, both for ourselves and the broader international user community, says Elizabeth Blackburn, Professor at Synchrotron Radiation Research in Lund University, and the New Materials Theme leader.

Neutron polarization capacity building for use in user experiments on ESS instruments

The project she is co-leading will produce polarization equipment usable on eight instruments at ESS. It involves researchers from Lund University, KTH and Uppsala University. Neutron polarisation refers to a process whereby the spins (magnetic moments) of the neutrons in a neutron beam are aligned in the same direction. These polarised beams can be used to provide unique information on the strength and direction of magnetic induction in a material. This type of information is of crucial importance for an increased understanding of high-performance magnetic materials and for the developments of durable generators and electric motors, for example. Moreover, the interaction between polarized neutrons and matter can be used to provide more control over and higher quality of experiments such as battery research, and medical research.

– Last year, I started work on another project, also funded by the Swedish Research Council, together with Martin Månsson at KTH. We worked both with the ESS and the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source in the UK, to test and develop a new design of supermirror polariser, as well as supporting research using these methods to investigate quantum and energy materials. This work is ongoing, and has given us some good experience which can be exploited for this project, says Elizabeth Blackburn.

An effort involving many universities

She is excited to get started, and is especially looking forward to working more closely with colleagues from other universities such as Martin Månsson, Associate Professor in Materials and Nanophysics at KTH, and Max Wolff, Professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University.

– Everyone in our collaborative group, I think, has some specific experiments that they are excited about, and this project covers many interesting areas connected to polarization. It is great that we can gather people from many different places under one common goal.

– It is also nice to tie in other expertise and other science areas to the project. For example, Tommy Nylander, Professor in Physical Chemistry at Lund, and leader of the LINXS Northern Lights on Food Theme, will explore the use of polarized neutrons for soft matter research, says Elizabeth Blackburn.

In her own research, Elizabeth Blackburn is currently exploring magneto-electric materials, where an electric field can be used to control magnetic behaviour, a process which has applications in devices such as magnetic field sensors, antennas and tunable resonators.

– Being able to use polarized neutrons is very helpful for disentangling exactly what is happening within the materials. Sometimes, it is the only way to figure out what a particular magnetic structure is, or to get information about the differences between layers and membranes. The fact that we would be able to try these things out as soon as the ESS user programme starts is also very advantageous for the Swedish science community, says Elizabeth Blackburn.

Martin Månsson and Max Wolff are glad to be part of the collaboration. They will contribute to the project with expertise on both novel quantum materials as well as battery and hydrogen storage materials - where polarized neutrons can be used to screen out certain types of background scattering, and through experience in developing and using the SuperADAM beamline at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble, which also uses polarized neutrons in a wide range of science.

– I am very happy that Sweden is finally part of the in-kind delivery to ESS and that KTH together with Lund University and Uppsala University can substantially contribute to the instrument development. With this project we do not only make ESS even better, but we also create a direct, extensive and very important interface between Swedish researchers and many of the ESS development teams. In parallel to our technical development we also contribute with education/courses within the Swedish graduate school in neutron scattering, SwedNess, says Martin Månsson, Associate Professor in Materials and Nanophysics at KTH.

Max Wolff, Professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University, adds:

– In this project, we will build on our expertise in the Super ADAM project. Polarized neutrons are becoming increasingly important, not only for studies of magnetism but also for analyzes of spin-incoherent scattering, enabling better experiments. The project will enable Uppsala University to connect with ESS, build competence and be ready to make the most of the facility once it is up and running

Being at LINXS offers many benefits

Hosting the project at LINXS has many advantages according to Elizabeth Blackburn.

– We needed a platform where everyone could participate on an equal footing, and LINXS is that platform. The remit of LINXS is to support researchers to collaborate to promote the use of neutrons, as well as its interaction with other methods, so it is a perfect fit, says Elizabeth Blackburn.

– Pulling together a project of this size is otherwise a great challenge when you come from different divisions, faculties and universities. Having the project hosted by LINXS makes everything from administration to collaboration that much easier.

The project will run unto December 2025.

Another ESS in-kind project about ODIN

Stephen Hall, senior lecturer at Solid Mechanics at LTH, and former Director of LINXS will also deliver an in-kind project to the ESS. His project, Commissioning researchers for the ODIN instrument, aims to develop and put into use the instrument ODIN at ESS. ODIN, which will be one of the first operational instruments at ESS, will provide world-leading neutron imaging with micrometer spatial resolution.

Read more about Swedness: www.SwedNess.se. Swedness is financed by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF).