Szilardtestfizikai es Optikai Kutatointezete - Magyar Tudomanyos Akademia (BNC-RISP), HU 
About
Three research institutes of Hungarian Academy of Sciences are put
together to form the neutron platform in CHARISMA: the Research
Institute of Solid State Physics and Optics (RISSPO); the Institute
of Isotopes (IKI) and the KFKI Research Institute for Particle and
Nuclear Physics (RMKI).
The infrastructure offered for access to neutron techniques is the
10 MW Budapest Research Reactor (BRR). It was first started in
1959, and then a full-scale reconstruction and upgrading was
performed in 1986-92. In 2004 the operation license of the reactor
was obtained for the next 10 years period. The instrument
development programme is continued and currently 15 experimental
stations are in operation. BRR is a user facility open to the
international community.
Relevant experience and role
Research Institute of Solid State Physics and Optics
RISSPO-HAS operates several neutron beam-line instruments. As
"workhorse instruments" a small angle scattering (SANS) instrument
and a triple axis spectrometer (TAS) both installed on neutron
guides of the cold neutron source, are in current use. Another TAS
instrument and a 4-circle materials test diffractometer are
installed on thermal neutron beams. 3 diffractometers are available
for various kinds of structural studies.
Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) is a technique for studying
nanometer scale structural features in various materials. Due to
their very low energy, the thermal neutrons penetrate in most
materials without destructing the structure. The obtained
information is characteristic to the whole irradiated volume of the
sample. Practically the measured piece is free from outer-shape,
physical, chemical or structural changes; there is no need of
sampling.
SANS technique makes possible the determination of void sizes in
porous media such as cements, marbles; observation of anisotropy in
the precipitates orientation in minerals or metals, as well as the
investigation of particle agglomeration in ceramic bodies and
evolution of pores during different types of processing.
Institute of Isotopes
IKI-HAS has been a pioneer in using neutrons for investigation of object of cultural heritage. Neutron-induced prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA) is an important and relatively new technique. Based on the radiative neutron capture process or (n,γ) reaction, it enables a non-destructive, matrix-free all-element analysis with a wide linear dynamic range. With the help of a comprehensive PGAA data library, it is suitable for the determination of elemental and even isotopic composition of the irradiated samples on major- and trace level as well. It is applicable, when bulk elemental analysis is required on a sample of any physical or chemical form (solid, powder, liquid or even gas), and at least 0.1-1 g of material available. Analysis of well defined spots on large objects (sculptures, vessels) is also feasible. We can quantify most of the major- and a few trace components in stone objects, ceramics, glass, different metals (bronze, silver) as well as in their raw materials or in soil samples. The typical questions which can be answered are related to provenance or workshop identification.
KFKI Research Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics
The KFKI RMKI - which also runs an experimental beam-line on the cold neutron source for neutron reflectometry - on the same campus offers complementary non-destructive analytical techniques for cultural heritage objects - such as external milli-beam PIXE and handy-to-use XRF, etc. - and the expertise gained in such investigations.
Website address:
www.szfki.huwww.iki.kfki.hu/index_en.shtml
www.rmki.kfki.hu
Team Leader
Name: Prof. László RostaAddress: Research Institute of Solid State Physics and Optics, HAS, Konkoly-Thege Miklós út 29-33, H-1525 Budapest, HU PO. Box 49 Budapest, HU
E-mail: rosta@szfki.kfki.hu
