Name: European Spallation Source – participation of the Czech Republic
Institution: Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Coordinator: RNDr. Petr Lukáš, CSc.; lukas@ujf.cas.cz
Website
ESS (European Spallation Source) is a project of a high-power pulsed neutron source currently under construction in Lund, Sweden. The neutron beams of ESS will help solve problems in many scientific fields, such as condensed matter physics (superconductivity and magnetic structures), chemistry (structures of surfactants), biology (effects of pharmaceuticals, structure, ordering and dynamics of DNA chains), material research (in-situ and in-operando studies of advanced materials, charge-discharge processes in batteries, hydrogen transport in fuel cells, phase transitions in new types of alloys with unique properties like high mechanical and thermal resistance and the shape memory effect) and cultural heritage (non-destructive imaging studies of historical artefacts). The leading in-kind contribution of the Czech Republic to the construction of ESS – the BEER (Beamline for European Engineering materials Research) diffractometer– is a scientific instrument on one of the ESS beams. It is designed to provide the detailed non-destructive characterisation of engineering materials and technological components in-situ and in-operando in the course of thermo-mechanical loading,
under conditions simulating real industrial processes during manufacturing, processing and operation. The delivery of other systems – a helium cooling loop, target water cooling systems and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) for the target station building – is another in-kind contribution of Czechia to the construction of ESS. These contributions will provide researchers from Czechia 2% of the measuring capacities across the whole suite of ESS instruments. The Czech Republic has become a Member State of ESS ERIC (European Spallation Source ERIC), and ESS Scandinavia-CZ will provide assistance to the Czech user community to access the ESS instruments after becoming operational. ESS ERIC, as a legal entity, participates in international networks through LENS (League of Advanced European Neutron Sources), which brings together key European RIs running neutron sources and ensures their optimal exploitation by users from both the academic and commercial sectors.
