The Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering (ACNS) utilises neutrons from Australia's multi-purpose research reactor, OPAL, to solve complex research and industrial problems for Australian and international users via merit-based access and user-pays programs. The neutron beam facilities of OPAL consist of neutron beam tubes that penetrate the reflector vessel, a cold neutron source, beam...
The rare earth iron garnets (IGs, REFe$_5$O$_{12}$, where RE is a rare earth) have been a source of scientific interest for decades due to their ferrimagnetic properties [1] and corresponding magnon dynamics [2]. The most famous rare earth IG, YIG, is the cornerstone of advances in spintronic technology, due to its exceptionally low magnon damping, microwave and magneto-optical properties [2]....
Magnetic Skyrmion lattices (SkL) are spin ordering which are topologically protected due to their quantised winding number. This, along with other helimagnetic orderings offer a plethora of fascinating phenomena for fundamental research and applications.[1] Cu2OSeO3 is an insulating multiferroic material that has shown to host SkL at specific conditions.[2] It possesses a magnetic structure...
Neutron scattering studies were carried out on single crystal bilayers of exchange-biased MnPt(001)/CoFe grown epitaxially on MgO[001] using magnetron sputtering. Polarized neutron diffraction measurements taken around the hysteresis loop with sample aligned along the bias direction showed changing peak shape and width for the 101 reflections while the 100 reflection only showed weak intensity...
The magnetic properties of the ThCr2Si2 type rare earth intermetallics have been shown to display a diverse range of physical properties including superconducting and magnetocaloric behaviour. The europium-based intermetallics are of particular scientific interest due to their intermediate valence, as highlighted by the series EuMn2Ge2 and EuMn2Si2 which demonstrate thermally driven valence...
Can simple mechanical rotation in an applied field be used as a tool to twist the spin-structure of a magnet at nanometre scales?
Here we present a simple 1D micromagnetic simulator (microM-ref1D) which is integrated with the Ref1D software for polarised neutron reflectometry to provide self-consistent fitting to magnetic thin film data in different field rotations. This is parametrised in...
In this presentation, several recent experiments using polarised neutrons at ACNS will be described. One experiment used polarisation analysis on the cold triple-axis spectrometer Sika to complement a previous unpolarised measurement of a polyelectrolyte sample on the backscattering spectrometer Emu in the quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) regime. This allowed the...
Additive manufacturing techniques, including Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), present new opportunities to reduce manufacturing costs and minimise waste in diverse industries like aerospace, nuclear and civil engineering. WAAM is favoured over other metal additive manufacturing methods for this sector due to its high deposition rates and ability to produce large, complex structures...
Additive Friction Stir Deposition (AFSD) is a rapidly emerging solid-state additive manufacturing (AM) process characterised by high deposition rate. As a non-fusion AM technique, AFSD avoids defects related to melting, such as solidification cracking, allowing for the processing of high-strength aluminium alloys with solidification cracking susceptibility. Additionally, AFSD generates lower...
Food production is being challenged by population growth and increased drought. One way to manage these challenges may lie in using native fruits, which have unique sensory and nutritional properties. Local species are inherently well-adapted to the Australian climate, and local and global interest are emerging (Richmond et al. 2019). A barrier to the industry’s growth, and an ongoing research...
The Emu μeV-resolution spectrometer is operated by ACNS at OPAL since 2016. The spectrometer enables measurements at correlation times from tens of ps to a few ns, as enabled by its Si(111) crystal backscattering setup and a Doppler drive offsetting incident energy by a few 10μeV. Current momentum transfer range is from 0.27 to 1.8 Å^-1.
Quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) investigations in...
Specific ion effects are phenomena dependent on ion identity, not merely its valence or concentration. Polymers are frequently used as exemplar systems to investigate specific ion effects,[1,2] where the behaviour of thermoresponsive polymers, such as polypropylene oxide (PPO), is modified by salt. The Pluronic series are block copolymers of hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and...
Sterols have been reported to modulate conformation and hence function of several membrane proteins. One such group is the Chloride Intracellular Ion Channel (CLIC) family of proteins. These largely soluble proteins can spontaneously insert into phospholipid bilayers to form integral membrane ion channels [1]. To date, the structure of their membrane-bound form and factors influencing their...
