ANBUG

Dear ANBUG members

The ANBUG executive team received the email below from Jamie Schulz.
This is a very concerning development that also affects other facilities
such as the National Deuteration Facility, the Australian Synchrotron
and the Centre for Accelerator Science.

We are trying to collate feedback from all users and would appreciates
your thoughts.

Please send your feedback to secretary@anbug.net and cc’ in anbug.secretary@gmail.com, or contact us directly.

Many thanks
Michael Preuss & the entire ANBUG executive team

Dear ANBUG Executive,

I am writing to let you know of some proposed changes to the operations
of ANSTO facilities.

For more than a year, ANSTO has been working to refresh its priorities –
to provide better support for its workforce, support financial stability
for the long term and ensure the focus is on the delivery of our core
functions and support of national priorities.  To achieve this, the
organisation has proposed changes to its capabilities, instruments,
activities and staffing requirements, among other measures.  These
proposed changes are essential to ensuring ANSTO is optimally positioned
to continue to deliver the benefits of nuclear science and technology to
Australia.

We are increasing the alignment of research infrastructure and research
capability to support and complement ANSTO core operations and
activities in delivering public benefit through nuclear science and
technology. ANSTO will continue to deliver world-class user programs and
research, including capital enhancements to infrastructure. Core
functions of the organisation, including safe and secure reactor
operations, supply of nuclear medicines and research and use of nuclear
science and technology, will be maintained, as mandated by the ANSTO Act
and Mission.  The outcome will be a stronger and more focused
organisation.

ANSTO welcomes stakeholder feedback and questions on the proposed
changes via nstfeedback@ansto.gov.auup to 7th November 2025.

The proposed changes are as follows:

Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering
•       Proposed cessation of the operation of the Koala Laue diffractometer
o       It is proposed to cease operations of this instrument at the end of
the 2025 operational cycles and for it not to be available for Merit
Access or Commercial Access experiments in 2026 onwards.
•       Proposed cessation of availability of Beryllium-Filter capability on
Taipan instrument
o       It is proposed to cease operations of this capability at the end of
the 2025 operational cycles and for it not to be available for Merit
Access or Commercial Access experiments in 2026 onwards.

The ANBUG Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on 5^th November 2024 from 2:20pm at the AINSE Lecture Theatre, Lucas Heights, NSW.

The AGM will be held during the AANSS2024 Conference and will incorporate the talks from the 2024 ANBUG Awardees. The agenda items to be discussed during the AGM are:

Agenda:

1. Welcome (Chris Wensrich)
2. ANBUG Award talks (Chris Wensrich) 1.20pm – 2.20pm

AGM: (from 2.20pm, duration: 1- 1.5 hrs)

3. President report (Chris Wensrich)
4.  ANBUG Executive Committee (Chris Wensrich)
5. Access to major research facilities fund (Chris Wensrich)
6. Financial and Society Report (Chris Wensrich on behalf of Clemens Ulrich)
7. International relation, incl. AONSA (Chris Wensrich)
8. 2024 Events and Town Hall topic ideas for 2025 (Lu Jiang)
9. Q&A and discussion (Chris Wensrich)

All ANBUG members are encouraged to join the AGM.

We are pleased to announce the upcoming ANBUG Town Hall Event: Proposal Writing Workshop led by Prof. Chris Wensrich and Prof. Ian Gentle.

The lecture will take place on 30^th August 2024 from 10:00 am to 11:00 am AEST. Everyone interested in this topic is welcome to join the lecture.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://anu.zoom.us/j/89988834786?pwd=goSbzbIEaJznaQuSdX7b5oF1gsHrrk.1

Meeting ID: 899 8883 4786
Password: 892991

Abstract:

The Program Advisory Committee (PAC) of the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering (ACNS) is responsible for the assessment of all user access applications for beamtime on neutron instruments within ANSTO. This committee also assesses associated deuteration applications to the National Deuteration Facility. This presentation aims to provide insight for users into role of the PAC committee and the assessment process for regular beamtime applications at ACNS. It will be presented in two parts: 1. Insights into the committee process. What happens to your application; From submission to final decision, and 2. Advice on how to improve your application and maximise your chances of securing beamtime at ACNS (and elsewhere for that matter).

About the speakers:

Ian Gentle is a Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Queensland. He has international standing as expert in organic optoelectronic devices and energy materials and has a strong research track record involving the application of neutron and synchrotron x-ray scattering techniques in these areas. He is the current president of the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE) and head of the ANSTO Program Advisory Committee (PAC).

Chris Wensrich is an Associate Professor in the School of Engineering at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He is a long-term user of neutron facilities in Australia (ACNS), Japan (J-PARC) and the USA (SNS) for work focused on applied mechanics. He is the current president of the Australian Neutron Beam User Group (ANBUG) and has served on the ANSTO Program Advisory Committee (PAC) for the past 6 years.

Nominations are now open for the 2024 ANBUG Awards. ANBUG recognises the achievements of our members annually in the following areas: Career award, Neutron Award, Young Scientist Award, Technical Award and Outstanding PhD Prize.

Please refer to the nomination form and forward completed applications to the ANBUG Secretary (secretary@anbug.net) by 5pm 30th September 2024. 

ANBUG continues to deliver high-quality online seminars on neutron technologies through the ANBUG Town Hall events. Our next exciting topic is Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS). We are pleased to invite Dr. Katy Wood from the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering (ACNS) to deliver a lecture on this subject. She will cover the unique strengths of SANS, the prerequisites for successful experiments, and the inherent challenges in data interpretation.

The lecture will take place on July 26^th from 10:00 am to 11:00 am AEST. Everyone interested in this topic is welcome to join.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://deakin.zoom.us/j/86590620627?pwd=ky8zGncmn6bXN3AgnJhbZ4BPau1kev.1

Meeting ID: 865 9062 0627
Password: 37949939

Abstract:

This talk will explore the unique strengths of Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS), the prerequisites for successful experiments, and the inherent challenges in data interpretation. A key focus will be the state-of-the-art SANS instrumentation at ANSTO, including recent upgrades to the Quokka instrument. I will cover the instrumental capabilities, sample environments, and the distinct advantages of neutrons over X-rays for certain systems. Real-world case studies will illustrate the power of SANS across diverse research areas, such as metals characterization, lipid self-assembly, and structural studies of protein complexes. These examples underscore SANS’ versatility in addressing compelling scientific questions. While celebrating its “bright spots”, we will also confront the “blind spots” and limitations of SANS. This balanced discussion will guide attendees in making informed decisions about when to leverage SANS.

ANBUG continues to deliver high-quality online seminars on neutron technologies via the Town Hall events. The first 2024 lecture will be on the topic of magnetic neutron scattering. We are pleased to invite A/Prof. Clemens Ulrich from UNSW to deliver two lectures on this topic, covering the introduction to magnetism, magnetic diffraction and excitations, as well as polarized neutron scattering techniques. The lecture will take place on June 21st from 10:00 to 12:00 AEST. Everyone interested in this topic is welcome to join the lecture.

To attend, please use the following zoom link: https://anu.zoom.us/j/81165055074?pwd=XlCN9OpdmDsB9N7snH5TBq8EKSbUa7.1

Abstract:

Since neutrons carry their own magnetic moment, they are ideal for the investigation of magnetic properties of materials. For example, the precise spin structure can be determined by neutron diffraction. This encompasses not only the type of the magnetic order, i.e., ferro-, antiferromagnetic or even more complicated spin structures, but also the magnitude of the magnetic moments of every ion, and the particular direction of each spin. Using inelastic neutron scattering magnetic excitations, e.g. magnon dispersions or spin gaps can be determined. A main challenge is to distinguish between nuclear (crystallographic) and magnetic neutron scattering. Therefore, polarized neutron scattering is an ideal technique since it allows to determine the spin state of the excitation directly. This presentation will explain the core concepts of solid state magnetism, magnetic neutron scattering and polarized neutron scattering.

The small angle scattering (SAS) teams from the Australian Synchrotron (AS) and the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering (ACNS) are pleased to announce their 4th SAS Workshop which will run from 17th to the 19th April at the Australian Synchrotron, Clayton.  The workshop will be limited to 20 on-site participants, with hybrid sessions offered for those who do not attend in person. Expressions of interest are now open, with applications closing on the 26th February 2024.

The 2023 ANBUG Awards were announced on the 28^th November 2023 at the ANSTO User Meeting held in Hurstville. Congratulations to the awardees:

Career Award: Prof. Garry McIntrye from ANSTO (retired) was recognised for sustained contributions to condensed-matter physics throughout his career using neutron scattering techniques.

Neutron Award: A/Prof. Stuart Prescott from the University of New South Wales was recognised for his outstanding research in neutron science and leadership promoting the Australian neutron scattering community.

Young Scientist Award: Dr. Lu (Daniel) Jiang from Deakin University was recognised for his outstanding research utilising neutron scattering within 10 years of PhD conferral.

Technical Award: Dr. Frank Darmann from ANSTO was recognised for outstanding service contributing to technical aspects of neutron scattering.

Outstanding PhD Prize: Dr. Zhijun (Helen) Qiu from the University of Wollongong was recognised for her outstanding PhD thesis using neutron scattering techniques.

ANBUG continues to collaborate with ACNS, ANSTO, to deliver high-quality online lectures on neutron technologies, covering a broad range of research areas. We are pleased to invite Dr. Joseph Bevitt from ACNS to give a lecture on the neutron imaging technique, including the facility, Dingo, at the ACNS and its major applications. The lecture will be on November 9th from 11:00 to 12:00, AEDT. Everyone interested in this field is welcome.