New Swedish Project at ESS from Uppsala University
2023-01-25
A project from Uppsala University which will produce polarisation equipment important for several instruments will be initiated at ESS. The project is financed by the Swedish Research Council and is a so called in-kind grant.
Co-leader of this in-kind project is Max Wolff, Professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University. The project aims to produce key polarisation equipment for several instruments at ESS.
“This project is one of the main keys to contribute to and improve the performance of ESS and taking the best benefit of its capabilities,” says Max. “Getting closely involved in several instrument projects and contributing in this way to the largest infrastructure investment in the Nordic countries is very exciting.”
At ESS, neutrons are generated when protons collide with the tungsten target in a process called spallation. Polarising neutrons means that all their spins (magnetic moments) become aligned, similar to the needles of all compasses pointing north. Once polarised, the strength and direction of the magnetic induction in materials can be measured. Such knowledge is required to understand high-performance magnetic materials used in generators and electrical motors required for a sustainable future. Moreover, polarised neutrons also allow exploiting specifics of the interactions of neutrons with matter, to provide more control over and higher quality of the experiments done in areas such as battery or medical research. To polarise neutrons, special equipment, such as mirror cavities, gas cells, spin flippers, and guide fields are required.
“In this project, we will develop capabilities for polarisation analysis by building on our expertise in the Super ADAM project,” explains Max. “Polarised neutrons become increasingly important, not only for the study of magnetism but also for the analysis of spin incoherent scattering, which allows for better experiments. The project will allow Uppsala University to tightly connect to ESS, build competence and be prepared to take the best benefit of the facility, once up and running.”
The Swedish Research Council is tasked by the government to work to ensure that researchers in Sweden participate to greater degree in the construction and development of the research facility European Spallation Source, ESS.
Previously, the Swedish Research Council granted funding for preliminary studies of two Swedish instruments, SAGA and HIBEAM. During the period 2021–2025, a part of the Swedish contribution to ESS will be used for in-kind deliveries, that is technical equipment or staff, from Swedish universities to ESS to a sum of SEK 150 million.
The FREIA laboratory at the Ångström laboratory at Uppsala University was in 2021 granted funding, and now in total four new projects have been granted funding which was signed at a ceremony at ESS on January 19, 2023. Lund University is the main supplier and in the projects are also included researchers from Uppsala University, KTH and Lund Institute of advanced neutron and X-ray science (LINXS).
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Other Swedish in-kind grants from the Swedish Research Council