NSCPHD1214 Fourth Annual Niels Bohr International Academy Workshop on ESS Science: Opening a new window into surface interactions by combining inelastic neutron scattering and reflectometry to molecular dynamics

Volume 2014/2015
Content

Based on the success of the Niels Bohr International Academy workshop-schools in 2011 2012 and 2013, which were also part of the Phd School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, we now propose to organize a fourth workshop-school to discuss on the use of X-ray and neutron reflectometry to investigate how molecules bind to a surface and how the characteristic times of the motions of surface-bound molecules can be detected by inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and light scattering methods. At the same time, we will describe how the experimental results can be supported by molecular dynamics calculations.
Moreover, to address the needs from the students coming from hard-condensed matter sciences, part of the school will be dedicated to the use of these experimental approaches to magnetism. In this case, scientific results using polarized neutron reflectometry (PNR),INS and inelastic X-rays scattering (INX) will be at the core of the tutorials. The aim is to focus on understanding how electrons organize themselves in solids to produce the amazingly distinct range of phenomena encountered in modern condensed matter physics.  

Learning Outcome

How to make the best use of the complementarity of the different neutron techniques, in order to obtain a maximum of information, is not always clearly discussed, but must be systematically addressed. Therefore it is important to bring the young community of neutron scatters users acquitted to this fact. Moreover, it is important to emphasize that the great power of neutron scattering methods lies primarily in the fact that they are a unique experimental probe of molecular structure and interactions. As a result neutron scattering is being applied to systems of increasing complexity (and importance), but such experiments can no longer adequately be interpreted by a simple empirical or phenomenological approach. It has therefore become essential to combine neutron scattering experiments with the appropriate computational study in order to extract the optimal amount of molecular level information from the data. Consequently, it is essential for the future scientific success of the ESS that continuing education and advanced training of post-graduates, postdocs and researchers is established and maintained for virtually all fields of science that benefit from the use of the ESS. This is the aim of this series of workshops-schools.

At the end of the school the students will be more familiar with forefront neutron and X-rays scattering methods and their application to current research topics.

They should be able to better understand data analysis from reflectometry experiments and should be well acquitted with the molecular dynamics program RUMD (http://rumd.org), developed at Roskilde University. Moreover, they should be able to start the analysis inelastic neutron scattering data from magnetic materials.

This particular course that is in fact a crash course that allows the students to have a rapid and intense training experience in neutron scattering data analysis. The primary goal of the proposed school is to gather a mix of Danish and foreign PhD students aiming to develop direct contact between them as well as between the students and the international guest teachers & researches. The school is structured as follows. Each topic will be introduced by a motivational or tutorial talk on a selected scientific achievement, in such a way all participants can gain a broader notion of the benefits of the approaches discussed. Basic information on the complementary properties of the different types of techniques, their data interpretation, as well as information on recent applications and developments will also be given.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Course Preparation
  • 20
  • Lectures
  • 36
  • Seminar
  • 14
  • Total
  • 70
Credit
2,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Course participation
Oral defence
The students will be assigned to a small project and will be guided by the respective lecturers to a solution. The results from the students’ projects will be presented in a short oral session. For this type of participation the students will be assigned 2.5 ECTS points. Students that agree in writing an experimental report with the results from the tutorials will be given 5 ECTS points.
Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
completed/not completed
Censorship form
No external censorship