To the Centre of Titan and Beyond: 30 Years of Neutron Diffraction with the Paris-Edinburgh Pressure Cell

General interest seminar

To the Centre of Titan and Beyond: 30 Years of Neutron Diffraction with the Paris-Edinburgh Pressure Cell

  • Event time: 5:00pm until 6:00pm
  • Event date: 15th March 2018
  • Speaker: (School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Edinburgh)
  • Location: Lecture Theatre A,

Event details

Many members of the school will not be aware that our School has leant its name to a pressure cell.   The Paris-Edinburgh neutron diffraction cell is the result of a collaboration between the University of Edinburgh and the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris which started thirty years ago in 1988. This collaboration and the resulting pressure cell opened up the technique of neutron diffraction to significant pressures for the first time.

Neutron diffraction is the only technique which is able to ‘see’ light atoms like hydrogen in crystal structures clearly. Prior to the Paris-Edinburgh cell the behaviour of the hydrogen atoms in fundamentally important systems like hydrogen, ice, methane and ammonia were ''guessed'’ from measurements made using x-rays and spectroscopy. The Paris-Edinburgh cell showed that in almost all cases these guesses were either inadequate or in some cases simply wrong.

This year marks not only the 30th anniversary but also the sale of the 100th Paris Edinburgh Cell. 

In my talk I will use some examples of work done with Paris-Edinburgh cells to show what seeing all of the atoms in a material can tell us.

All students and staff welcome.

***Tea and cakes available in the Magnet Café foyer, James Clerk Maxwell Building, KB from 16.30.***

About General interest seminars

Our General Interest Seminars are an opportunity for distinguished speakers to present new research in physics and related areas. The material presented is suitable for undergraduate level upwards and all members of the School are welcome to attend..

Find out more about General interest seminars.