ISIS is a world-leading centre for research in the physical and life sciences at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Oxford in the United Kingdom. Our suite of neutron and muon instruments allow the properties of materials to be understood at the scale of atoms.
We support a national and international community of more than 2000 scientists for research into subjects ranging from clean energy and the environment, pharmaceuticals and health care, through to nanotechnology, materials engineering and IT.
News and Events
Wednesday 15 May 2013
Dr Sihai Yang, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the University of Nottingham, has been awarded the B T M Willis Prize for 2013 by the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society of Chemistry Neutron Scattering Group. The award recognises Dr Yang’s outstanding research in the application of neutron scattering science to understand gas storage and separation properties of porous materials. Sihai was presented with his award at the UK Neutron and Muon User Meeting 2013 held on 8th April, and he was invited to give a science lecture.
Tuesday 30 April 2013
The Siemens ONIAC prototype which was developed at ISIS in collaboration with ISIS engineers is featuring in the Antenna contemporary science exhibition at the London Science Museum for the next three months.
Monday 01 July 2013
The aims of the workshop are to demonstrate the current state of the art for the analysis of GISAS data (with particular emphasis on soft matter systems), to enable experimentalists and those developing theoretical analyses to meet and to foster improved links between the X-ray and neutron scattering communities.
Thursday 11 April 2013
On Wednesday 27th February, amongst all the Particle Physics Masterclass tours, you may have noticed the ISIS Second Target Station being transformed into a film set. This is because the BBC had chosen ISIS to be one of their filming locations for a new documentary on the sun, for BBC 2.
Tuesday 22 January 2013
No longer in the depths of R3 where it has been for years, the ISIS user office has moved to Reception Building R75 at the main entrance to the RAL site.
Target Station 2
Wednesday 24 October 2012
Construction is now well underway for the four new Second Target Station instruments.
The success of the seven neutron instruments operating at the ISIS Second Target Station has attracted a further £21 million from the UK government to add four more instruments to the suite. The instruments will add distinctive new capability for neutron scattering in Europe and open up new areas of science.
Science at ISIS
Friday 17 May 2013
This week has seen an intense period of activity from the Sun, with four colossal solar flares in 24 hours. Here on Earth, such spectacular solar displays seem far enough away but in fact these extra-terrestrial events are a cause for concern in our modern digital world.
Friday 12 April 2013
Imagine. You are a tiny, injectable ball. Within your core you carry a drug designed to treat a specific diseased tissue. Leaving the syringe, you are expelled past the deltoid and into a vein, down which you travel through the blood stream. Bumping shoulders with red blood cells, platelets and white blood cells, you navigate the blood plasma seeking your target, all the time avoiding being eaten by macrophages (the primary immune system) and protecting your cargo. Upon arrival, you squeeze and eject this bio-active material which binds to, and destroys, mutant cells. All healthy tissue remains unaffected! A seemingly futuristic hypothesis? Well, the advent of nano-technologies could soon realise this dream.
Wednesday 06 February 2013
The brain, at the centre of the nervous system, is the most complex organ in the body. A vast neural network of around 100 billion neurons makes connections via synapses and is thought to be the basis of memory. Imagine an electronic analogue of a synapse, a memristor, which could be used in making a digital memory for a ‘smart’ computer.
Tuesday 11 December 2012
Nanoparticles, defined as being between 100 and 1 nanometers in size, stir excitement amongst researchers due to a wide variety of potential applications in biomedical, optical and electronic fields. With our current economy and environmental concerns, nanoparticles with uses in energy storage and energy efficient materials are particularly sought after.
Making an impact
Thursday 22 November 2012
Read about the social and economic impact of neutron scattering in a new brochure highlighting key examples of the use of the technique.
Friday 26 October 2012
The 16th October 2012 was Ada Lovelace Day – an annual event celebrating women in science. ALD aims to create new role models for girls and women in STEM (science, technology engineering and mathematics) by sharing stories of inspirational women from around the world.
