Neutron scattering instrumentation for biology at spallation neutron sources
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM (United States)
Conventional wisdom holds that since biological entities are large, they must be studied with cold neutrons, a domain in which reactor sources of neutrons are often supposed to be pre-eminent. In fact, the current generation of pulsed spallation neutron sources, such as LANSCE at Los Alamos and ISIS in the United Kingdom, has demonstrated a capability for small angle scattering (SANS) - a typical cold- neutron application - that was not anticipated five years ago. Although no one has yet built a Laue diffractometer at a pulsed spallation source, calculations show that such an instrument would provide an exceptional capability for protein crystallography at one of the existing high-power spoliation sources. Even more exciting is the prospect of installing such spectrometers either at a next-generation, short-pulse spallation source or at a long-pulse spallation source. A recent Los Alamos study has shown that a one-megawatt, short-pulse source, which is an order of magnitude more powerful than LANSCE, could be built with today`s technology. In Europe, a preconceptual design study for a five-megawatt source is under way. Although such short-pulse sources are likely to be the wave of the future, they may not be necessary for some applications - such as Laue diffraction - which can be performed very well at a long-pulse spoliation source. Recently, it has been argued by Mezei that a facility that combines a short-pulse spallation source similar to LANSCE, with a one-megawatt, long-pulse spallation source would provide a cost-effective solution to the global shortage of neutrons for research. The basis for this assertion as well as the performance of some existing neutron spectrometers at short-pulse sources will be examined in this presentation.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 381071
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-96-634; CONF-9410223-; ON: DE96006681; TRN: 96:005198-0004
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 3. conference on neutrons in biology, Santa Fe, NM (United States), 24-28 Oct 1994; Other Information: PBD: [1994]; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the neutrons in biology conference, Santa Fe, NM, October 1994; Schoenborn, B.P.; PB: 354 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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