ISIS

"World leading research that impacts on everyday life"

ISIS is a world leading centre for research in the physical and life sciences.

One of the world’s best sources of neutrons and muons, ISIS uses beams of these particles to reveal the relationship between the invisible world of atoms and molecules and the world of everyday life.

Neutrons and muons can easily penetrate matter and, by pinpointing the location of atoms and molecules, determine the structure of materials and how this relates to their possible use.

ISIS research can be found behind, for example, soaps and shampoos sold off the supermarket shelf, improved performance of aircraft and power stations, and more efficient processes in industry that allow companies to cut waste and reduce costs.

From the original vision over 30 years ago, ISIS has become one of the UK’s major scientific achievements. As the world’s leading pulsed neutron and muon source, ISIS has changed the way the world does neutron scattering research.

New neutron sources are being based on ISIS ideas and technology. Recent research has impacted on:

• health - developing bio-compatible materials including a new method for cleft palate treatment and plastic surgery; understanding the molecular structure of lung surfactant in premature babies, or the behavior of enzymes in the digestive tract; and developing new drugs and methods for targeted drug delivery in the body.
• environment - identifying solutions for waste water treatment, such as determining the fate of nanoparticles or characterizing the breakdown of environmental contamination by natural enzymes; contributing to our understanding of global warming; and giving insight into the geological processes of the Earth and other planets.
• energy - discovering new materials for hydrogen storage and clean energy.
• technology - improving the performance of mobile phone components; uncovering stresses and microscopic cracking in aircraft wings and power station heat exchangers.
• culture - analysing archaeological, historical and art objects non-destructively.

ISIS now publishes over 400 research papers every year - and has published more than 9,000 papers during its lifetime - making it one of the most productive facilities of its type in the world.

The heart of ISIS is a proton accelerator that produces intense pulses of protons 50 times per second. Muons are produced when the proton beam passes through a carbon target. The protons then go on to collide with a tungsten target and produce neutron pulses.

The neutron and muon beams produced at ISIS are used in research areas ranging from clean energy and the environment to pharmaceuticals, nanotechnology and IT.

ISIS, which is located at the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, supports a very large and diverse national and international community of more than 2,000 scientists.

ISIS attracts international investment and creates very successful partnerships with local science, engineering and technology businesses.

ISIS is strongly placed to address many of the major scientific challenges of the 21st century whilst at the same time building a strong foundation of knowledge for the future.

ISIS has been operating for more than 25 years. It has recently doubled in size through a government-funded £145 million investment to increase scientific capability and add capacity.

The ISIS second target station construction project (Phase I) was completed in 2009, on time and to budget. It will enable the ISIS science programme to expand in the key research areas of soft matter, advanced materials and bio-science.

Seven instruments have been built and brought into operation during Phase I. Target Station 2 has capacity for a total of 18 neutron instruments, to add to the 18 neutron and 6 muon instruments already available at Target Station 1.

The Phase II Project will build a further four instruments, together with the necessary advanced detectors, electronics and software.

The new instruments in Phase II will extend the range of science even further. For example, the ‘Chipir’ instrument will be a unique facility for the UK electronics industry to ensure that devices can withstand the effects of cosmic radiation - keeping aircraft safe and ensuring that computer systems for cars, communications and medical equipment operate reliably. Other instruments will offer new capability for pharmacy and healthcare, bio-materials, power generation, civil engineering and food science.

Contact

Martyn Bull
Head of Communications, ISIS
Tel: +44 (0)1235 445805
Email: martyn.bull@stfc.ac.uk
http://www.isis.stfc.ac.uk

For media enquiries please telephone: +44 (0)1235 445627

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Version 01 - May 2010