The Multi Axis Crystal Spectrometer at the NIST Center for Neutron Research is a third generation cold neutron spectrometer that provides ultra high sensitivity access to dynamic correlations in condensed matter on length scales from 0.1 nm to 50 nm and energy scales from 2.2 meV to 20 meV. The project is funded jointly by the NIST Center for Neutron Research, the National Science Foundation, and the Johns Hopkins University.

MACS Research Highlights:

Novel State of Matter: Observation of a Quantum Spin Liquid A novel and rare state of matter known as a quantum spin liquid has been empirically demonstrated in a monocrystal of the compound calcium-chromium oxide by team at HZB. What is remarkable about this discovery is that according to conventional understanding, a quantum spin liquid should not be possible in this material. A theoretical explanation for these observations has now also been developed. This work deepens our knowledge of condensed matter and might also be important for future developments in quantum information. The results have just been published in Nature Physics. Details

 

NIST Contributes to Discovery of Novel Quantum Spin-Liquid An international team of researchers including scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has found what may be the first known example of a "spin-orbital liquid," a substance in a never-before-seen quantum mechanical state.  Details.

 

For Newly Discovered 'Quantum Spin Liquid', the Beauty Is in Its Simplicity. A research team including scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has confirmed long-standing suspicions among physicists that electrons in a crystalline structure called a kagome (kah-go-may) lattice can form a "spin liquid," a novel quantum state of matter in which the electrons' magnetic orientation remains in a constant state of change.  Details.

 

Neutron scattering experiments clarify mechanism of piezoelectricity in PMN. Piezoelectrics—materials that can change mechanical stress to electricity and back again—are everywhere in modern life. Computer hard drives. Loud speakers. Medical ultrasound. Sonar. Though piezoelectrics are a widely used technology, there are major gaps in our understanding of how they work. Now researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Canada's Simon Fraser University believe they've learned why one of the main classes of these materials, known as relaxors, behaves in distinctly different ways from the rest and exhibit the largest piezoelectric effect. And the discovery comes in the shape of a butterfly. .  Details.