ISIS WISH Science Highlights

WISH Science Highlights

Our Science Highlight articles cover the diverse research that takes place at our facility. Read all our Science Highlight articles using WISH below:

Strain could have massive potential to squeeze new information out of quantum materials
A collaborative effort has resulted in a new technique to investigate quantum materials, combining strain tuning with neutron and X-ray scattering
Exotic magnetic phase could put next-generation computing on an upward spiral
Experimental evidence of rare magnetic behaviour in LiYbO2 will help to open the door to a new family of materials with potential applications in spintronics, quantum computing and more.
Exploring the concept of octahedral spin ices
ISIS scientists have used computational modelling to investigate whether a spin ice can be formed in a material that takes an octahedral geometry.
A research adventure that led to a “technically perfect” study
Scientists using the WISH beamline have demonstrated that a rather simple material can become multiferroic at room temperature.
Designing porous materials for selective and reversible gas storage
Neutron and synchrotron X-ray studies have enabled researchers to understand the behaviour of gas molecules inside porous framework materials, informing the development of new sorbents for gas storage and separation.
Mapping the magnetic behaviour of an iron-based superconductor
The detailed phase diagram of a superconducting material has been fully mapped out, thanks to a combination of neutron and muon experiments.
Neutrons enable the distinction between single-k and multi-k structures
Researchers show that it is possible to distinguish between single-k and multi-k structures without the need for single crystals or external fields.
Understanding magnetism by using both neutrons and X-rays
By combining neutron diffraction studies with inelastic neutron and x-ray scattering experiments, researchers have been able to rationalise the complex properties of a magnetic material.
Finding a quantum spin liquid in a distorted honeycomb
A group of researchers used the MuSR, MERLIN and WISH instruments, along with theoretical modeling, to investigate the unconventional magnetism in a honeycomb oxide material.
Feature article: investigations into porous materials
From gas storage to catalysis, porous materials have a range of possible applications, and neutrons are used in many ways to characterise their performance.
Stoichiometry changes influence magnetic behaviour
New double perovskite shows novel colossal magnetoresistance
First bulk observation of helical ordering of electric dipoles
A study led by ISIS researchers in collaboration with University College London, the University of Oxford and the Japanese National Institute of Materials Science has uncovered emergent helical texture of electric dipoles in the solid state.
Zeolite pore control for purification of polymer starting materials
Reversible and selective separation of alkyne impurities from polymer starting materials has been achieved by controlling the environment of the pores inside a zeolite.
Ambidextrous magneto-electric textures: the future of data storage?
The observation of a material able to exhibit chirality (handedness) in both its electrical and magnetic systems opens new possibilities for the developing field of spintronics.
Combining insights from neutrons and muons to explain magnetic transitions.
Using muon spin relaxation experiments on EMU and HiFi alongside neutron powder diffraction on WISH has enabled the characterisation of the complex phases of a metamagnetic shape memory alloy: a material that can produce force under a magnetic field.
Examining the interplay between magnetism and topology
In a spin: uncovering a nematic transition
Researchers conducting a fairly routine systematic investigation of spinel materials have made a serendipitous discovery that could well be the first experimental proof of part of a long-standing and well-used theory.
A spin density wave state in strontium ruthenate
The search for novel states of matter have led many researchers to focus on layered oxide metals. These contain planes of atoms which dominate the electrical conduction.
New magnetic phase discovered in iron-based superconductors
Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have discovered a previously unknown phase in a class of superconductors called iron arsenides using ISIS.
When is a ferroelectric not a ferroelectric?
Ferroelectrics are insulating materials with an electrical polarisation that can be switched by an applied voltage. Ferroelectricity cannot occur in metals because polarisation would be screened by the conduction electrons.
Magnetic frustration in SrHo2O4 - Mantid helps WISH deliver on single crystals
Magnetic frustration stems from the inability of magnetic systems to simultaneously minimise the energy of all interactions in the system in order to reach a unique ground state.
Giant improper ferroelectricity is discovered in the ferroaxial magnet, CaMn7O12
Neutron diffraction studies at ISIS have given scientists new insights into the nature of certain magnetic materials, work that has led to a major breakthrough in the field of multiferroics.