CCL NEWS

CCL NEWS

CCL (the new name for DRAL) was set up on 1st April 1995

X-ray diffraction at Daresbury Laboratory

R J Cernik

On the 1st of April 1995 Daresbury Laboratory became part of the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils together with the Rutherford Appleton and Chilbolton Laboratories. The latter institution is an observatory situated in leafy Hampshire. The new Council (denoted hereafter as CCL) has the major responsibility of delivering world class facilities for its users. The users in this context could come from one of the research councils, the European Union, industry or some other collaborative agreement.

Within CCL various new departments exist, one of which is the Synchrotron Radiation Department headed by Ian Munro. Within this new department there are seven operations groups of which X-ray diffraction is one. The operations groups are responsible for running and operating the experimental stations. The X-ray diffraction group is headed by Bob Cernik and is responsible for the provision of facilities for powder diffraction, reflectivity and standing wave studies, high flux small molecule crystallography, kinetic and dynamic studies, topography, high pressure studies, liquids and amorphous scattering, diffraction physics and magnetic X-ray scattering. Other groups in the Synchrotron Radiation Department include, for example, protein crystallography, X-ray spectroscopy, surface science, non crystalline diffraction and the VUV and IR groups. The major emphasis of these groups is to maintain and develop experimental facilities for our users. The heads of these new groups form the basis of the facility operations committee that is responsible for the delivery of the beam time and experimental facilities for the SRS. We shall continue to support the experimental facilities with a vigorous in house and collaborative research and development programme.

The X-ray diffraction group is currently supporting four experimental research stations (9.1,9.7,2.3 and 7.6), with three more currently under construction (9.8,16.3 and 16.4). The community also has an interest in X-ray diffraction on three other stations (9.4a, 9.3 and 8.4), the latter is a test station managed by our group, 9.4 and 9.3 are the responsibility of other groups.

The direct interests of the users in the X-ray diffraction group are represented by two Specialist User Groups or SUGs. These are �Crystal Physics� and �Powder diffraction and Crystallography�, chaired by Moreton Moore (Royal Holloway) and Paul Barnes (Birkbeck) respectively. These groups used to be linked very strongly to the experimental programme by the old BAP system. The new system of applications via the Physics, Chemistry, Materials and Biological SESSs has resulted in a less formal although still vital role for the SUGs. The energy and enthusiasm put in by members of the SUGs has ensured that the SESS system has worked well and good contacts with the user groups has been maintained.

The Current facilities

If you have any questions regarding the services offered by the Daresbury Laboratory X-ray diffraction group please contact either the station mangers by phone: 



G Bushnell-Wye           9.1    01925 603623

S M Clark               16.4    01925 603123

S P Collins             16.3    01925 603622

C C Tang                 2.3    01925 603225
or e-mail ([email protected]) or contact me directly ([email protected]) 01925 603238, we will be glad to help or discuss any ideas you may have. Further information regarding the other groups at Daresbury of direct relevance to crystallographers specifically protein crystallography or non crystalline diffraction can be obtained from the relevant group heads Drs C Nave and G Diakun respectively.


Page last updated 19 May 1995

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