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
Monday 17 September 2012
The Design and Engineering of instruments meeting will take place on 17th-19th September 2012 at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.
Monday 17 September 2012
A symposium discussing current research with muons across various disciplines will be held at St Hugh’s College, Oxford.
Tuesday 01 May 2012
South Korean scientists travelled over five thousand miles to Oxfordshire earlier this month to meet with leading UK researchers at STFC’s ISIS Neutron and Muon Source for the Fourth UK-Korea workshop on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems (SCES).
Tuesday 01 May 2012
Professor David Keen, a member of the ISIS Crystallography group was elected President of the British Crystallographic Association at the annual Spring Meeting held this year at the University of Warwick.
Thursday 12 April 2012
On November 11 2011, Polaris, one of the most advanced neutron instruments in the world was installed at ISIS.
Target Station 2
Monday 06 June 2011
After years of planning, building has begun for the first of the ISIS Second Target Station phase two instruments.
The £145 million ISIS second target station project was completed in 2009 on time and to budget. All seven Phase One neutron instruments are operational.
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.
Three key research themes guide the design of the Second Target Station.
Science at ISIS
Monday 26 March 2012
ISIS has helped chemists to solve the 150 year-old mystery of what gives lead oxide, the main component of the lead-acid battery that is found under the bonnet of most cars, its unique properties. This finding explains why these batteries are able to deliver a surge of current when the car is started.
Thursday 09 February 2012
Recent studies at the ISIS neutron source, the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) world leading research centre, have given a new insight into the mysterious ‘anti-freeze’ capabilities of glycerol – a property successfully used in nature, by animals such as lizards, for survival at sub-zero temperatures.
Monday 09 January 2012
Neutron scattering experiments have given a new insight into how E. coli bacteria, often associated with food poisoning, kill each other in the evolutionary competition for food and space. This breakthrough could be fundamental in developing new ways to treat illnesses such as food poisoning or meningitis.
Wednesday 16 November 2011
Studies at ISIS reveal important information about the behaviour of a post-perovskite.
Making an impact
Wednesday 14 December 2011
Xpress beam time is becoming an increasingly popular service amongst ISIS users. Running for the past four years, the Xpress service offers users the opportunity to run test experiments or check sample quality before applying for a full beam time proposal.
Tuesday 29 November 2011
The hugely successful collaboration between ISIS and Japanese research institutes RIKEN and J-PARC has been highlighted during the UK-Japan Joint Commission on Science and Technology Cooperation held in London, Monday 28 November 2011.
