Quasielastic neutron scattering
Quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) designates a limiting case of inelastic neutron scattering, characterized by energy transfers being small compared to the incident energy of the scattered particles.
The term quasielastic scattering was originally coined in nuclear physics. It was applied to thermal neutron scattering since the early 1960s, notably in an article by Leon van Hove[1] and in a highly cited one by Pierre Gilles de Gennes.[2]
QENS is typically investigated on high-resolution spectrometers (neutron backscattering, neutron time-of-flight, neutron spin-echo).
It is used to investigate topics like
- solid-state diffusion (e.g. hydrogen in metals)
- slow modes in crystals (e.g. methyl group rotation)
- relaxation of viscous liquids
Conference Series
Starting in 1992, there is a conference series entitled QENS:
| Year | Venue | Organizing Centre | Proceedings | Editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Windsor, UK | ISIS | ? | |
| 1993 | San Sebastian, Spain | university | ? | |
| 1995 | Parma, Italy | university | ? | |
| 1998 | Nyköping, Sweden | Studsvik research reactor | Physica B 266 (1-2) pp. 1-138 | |
| 2000 | Edinburgh, UK | university | Physica B 301 (1-2) pp. 1-168 | V. Arrighi and M.T.F. Telling |
| 2002 | Potsdam/Berlin, Germany | Hahn-Meitner-Institut | Chemical Physics 292 (2-3) pp. 119-534 | R.E.Lechner |
| 2004 | Arcachon, France | ? | ||
| 2006 | Bloomington, USA | Low Energy Neutron Source, Indiana University Cyclotron Facility | MRS Conference Series | P.E.Sokol et al. |
| 2009 | Villigen, Switzerland | Paul-Scherrer-Institut | Z. Phys. Chem. 224 (1-2) pp. 1-287 | R.Hempelmann et al. |
| 2012 | Nikkō, Tochigi, Japan | J-PARC | J. Phys. Soc. Japan 82 Suppl. A (2013) | O. Yamamuro et al. |
Textbooks
- M. Beé, Quasielastic Neutron Scattering, Adam Hilger: Bristol (1988).
- R. Hempelmann, Quasielastic Neutron Scattering and Solid State Diffusion, Clarendon Press: Oxford (2000).