Browsing by Author "Franceschini, F"

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    Design and implementation of a differential scanning calorimeter for the simultaneous measurement of small angle neutron scattering
    (IOP Science, 2014-04-08) Pullen, SA; Booth, N; Olsen, SR; Day, B; Franceschini, F; Mannicke, F; Gilbert, EP
    For almost 30 years, at synchrotron facilities, it has been possible to perform small-angle x-ray scattering experiments whilst simultaneously measuring differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). However, a range of challenges exist to enable the collection of simultaneous small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and DSC data associated not only with intrinsic flux limitations but also scattering geometry and thermal control. The development of a DSC (temperature range ca. −150 ◦C to 500 ◦C) suitable for SANS is detailed here and its successful use is illustrated with combined measurements on a binary blend of normal alkanes in which one component has been deuterium labelled. © 2014, IOP Publishing Ltd
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    First application of simultaneous sans and differential scanning calorimetry: microphase separated alkane blends
    (International Conference on Neutron Scattering, 2017-07-12) Pullen, SA; Booth, N; Olsen, SR; Franceschini, F; Mannicke, D; Gilbert, EP
    The combination of small-angle x-ray scattering experiments with simultaneous measurement of phase transitions using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has become common-place. However, no such facility existed, until recently to enable the simultaneous measurement of DSC and small angle neutron scattering (SANS). DSC data complements SANS by providing first and second order phase transition temperatures and, with appropriate calibration, the magnitude and sign of associated enthalpy changes due to these phase transitions. A range of challenges have been addressed to enable the collection of simultaneous SANS and DSC data associated not only with intrinsic flux limitations but also scattering geometry, thermal control and synchronisation of the DSC and SANS data. The development of a DSC suitable for SANS is detailed here which, to our knowledge, is the first and only one of its kind. The resulting instrument has a temperature range of -50?C to 500?C and a furnace geometry that allows access to the full q range of QUOKKA, at the OPAL reactor to be reached. The DSC-SANS was first used to investigate the behaviour of binary mixtures of normal alkanes which is presented here although several further successful experiments have been carried out since on range of soft and hard condensed matter samples.
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    GumTree - an integrated scientific experiment environment
    (Elsevier B. V., 2005-11-15) Lam, T; Hauser, N; Götz, A; Hathaway, PV; Franceschini, F; Rayner, H; Zhang, L
    GumTree is an open source and multi-platform graphical user interface for performing neutron scattering and X-ray experiments. It handles the complete experiment life cycle from instrument calibration, data acquisition, and real time data analysis to results publication. The aim of the GumTree Project is to create a highly Integrated Scientific Experiment Environment (ISEE), allowing interconnectivity and data sharing between different distributed components such as motors, detectors, user proposal database and data analysis server. GumTree is being adapted to several instrument control server systems such as TANGO, EPICS and SICS, providing an easy-to-use front-end for users and simple-to-extend model for software developers. The design of GumTree is aimed to be reusable and configurable for any scientific instrument. GumTree will be adapted to six neutron beam instruments for the OPAL reactor at ANSTO. Other European institutes including ESRF, ILL and PSI have shown interest in using GumTree as their workbench for instrument control and data analysis. © 2006 Elsevier B.V.
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    GumTree - an integrated scientific experiment environment
    (The Bragg Institute, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, 2005-11-27) Lam, T; Hauser, N; Götz, A; Hathaway, PV; Franceschini, F; Rayner, H; Zhang, L
    GumTree is an open source and multi-platform graphical user interface for performing neutron scattering and X-ray experiments. It handles the complete experiment life cycle from instrument calibration, data acquisition, and real time data analysis to results publication. The aim of the GumTree Project is to create a highly Integrated Scientific Experiment Environment (ISEE), allowing interconnectivity and data sharing between different distributed components such as motors, detectors, user proposal database and data analysis server. GumTree is being adapted to several instrument control server systems such as TANGO, EPICS and SICS, providing an easy-to-use front-end for users and simple-to-extend model for software developers. The design of GumTree is aimed to be reusable and configurable for any scientific instrument. GumTree will be adapted to six neutron beam instruments for the OPAL reactor at ANSTO. Other European institutes including ESRF, ILL and PSI have shown interest in using GumTree as their workbench for instrument control and data analysis. © 2005 The Authors
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    Neutron optics upgrades to the residual stress diffractometer, KOWARI
    (Materials Research Forum LLC, 2016-07-03) Reid, M; Olsen, SR; Luzin, V; New, M; Booth, N; Clowes, D; Nguyen, T; Franceschini, F; Ogrin, A; Pangelis, S; Paradowska, AM; Larkin, N; Pan, Z; Hoye, N; Suzuki, H
    In the last 5 years a number of significant enhancements have been implemented on the neutron beam strain scanner Kowari at the OPAL reactor in Sydney Australia. These changes have resulted in reduced beam time losses when conducting experiments due to sample and stage alignment, and optics and sample changes. There have been 3 projects, starting in 2011 with a new manual slit system design and collision recovery system, in 2013 with a series of radial collimators and finally with the delivery. © The Authors
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    Online reduction and analysis in GumTree
    (The Bragg Institute, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, 2005-11-27) Rayner, H; Franceschini, F; Lam, T; Fei, Y
    This paper discusses how ANSTO aims to improve the experience of its neutron beam instrument users by integrating data reduction tools with the instrument control interface. The expectation is that the users will be able to make informed decisions to guide their experiments thus helping them improve the quality of their data via an interactive process with instant feedback. GumTree is an Integrated Scientific Experimental Environment. Data Reduction and Analysis (DRA) is a component of the GumTree Framework that allows users to perform data reduction, correction and basic analysis within GumTree while an experiment is running. It is highly integrated with Gumtree, able to pull data and metadata directly from the instrument control and data acquisition components. By having the DRA easily accessible while an experiment is running, the user will be able to make informed decisions concerning the running of the experiment. The DRA uses common components over all instruments and so provides a consistent interface. It utilises ISAW-based one and two dimensional plotting and an OpenGL-based three dimensional plotter. Peak fitting is performed by fityk. The paper will cover the benefits of integration, the flexibility of the DRA, intuitiveness of the interface and audit trail generation. © 2005 The Authors
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    Rapid software development for experiment control at OPAL
    (The Bragg Institute, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, 2005-11-27) Hathaway, PV; Lam, T; Franceschini, F; Hauser, N; Rayner, H
    ANSTO is undertaking the parallel development of instrument control and graphical experiment interface software for seven neutron beam instruments at OPAL. Each instrument poses several challenges for a common system solution, including custom detector interfaces, a range of motion and beamline optics schema, and a spectrum of online data reduction requirements. To provide a superior system with the least development effort, the computing team have adopted proven, configurable, server-based control software (SICS)1., a highly Integrated Scientific Experimental Environment (GumTree)2. and industry-standard database management systems. The resulting graphical interfaces allow operation in a familiar experiment domain, with monitoring of data and parameters independent of control system specifics. GumTree presents the experimenter with a consistent interface for experiment management, instrument control and data reduction tasks. The facility instrument scientists can easily reconfigure instruments and add ancillaries. The user community can expect a reduced learning curve for performing each experiment. GumTree can be installed anywhere for pre-experiment familiarisation, postprocessing of acquired data sets, and integration with third party analysis tools. Instrument scientists are seeing faster software development iterations and have a solid basis to prepare for the next suite of instruments. 1. SICS from PSI (lns00.psi.ch). 2. GumTree (gumtree.sourceforge.net), new site: http://gumtree.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page. © The Authors
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    Recent enhancements and performance gains from upgrades to ANSTO's thermal neutron instrument TAIPAN and the triple-axis and Be-filter spectrometers
    (Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, 2017-11-28) Rule, KC; Ogrin, A; Berry, A; Stampfl, APJ; Bartlett, D; Franceschini, F; Darmann, FA; Olsen, SR; Danilkin, SA; Pangelis, S; Oste, T; Ersez, T
    TAIPAN is the thermal-neutron spectrometer located at the reactor face of Australia's OPAL reactor (ANSTO). TAIPAN hosts two interchangeable secondary instruments; the triple-axis spectrometer (TAS) and the beryllium filter spectrometer. The TAS option has been operating since 2010 whilst the Be-filter only began operating in 2015. TAIPAN is renowned for its versatility and high neutron flux which has allowed the TAS to measure a broad range of samples including single crystals, powders, thin films, and co-aligned multi-crystal arrays. While the TAS option is used mostly to study structural and magnetic excitations in materials, the Be-filter option is used to measure vibrational density of states from powder samples. TAIPAN has recently undergone some upgrades to improve the accessible momentum and energy range of both the TAS and the Be-filter spectrometers. Four key features have been modified to improve performance: the accessible momentum transfer has been increased by re-designing the enclosure; a sapphire-filter translation-stage mechanism has been installed to allow epithermal neutrons to pass to the monochromators; a new Cu-200 double-focussing monochromator has been installed to allow monochromatic scattering of neutrons up to 180 meV; and finally a new tertiary shutter and snout have been designed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and reduced background outside the instrument enclosure. Extensive testing and alignment of all new motion stages were undertaken with reproducibility within ±0.05degrees or ±0.25mm obtained for both the monochromator rotation angle & sapphire-filter alignment. © The Authors.
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    Recent upgrades to ANSTO’s thermal neutron spectrometer, TAIPAN
    (Australian Institute of Physics, 2018-01-30) Rule, KC; Darmann, FA; Oste, T; Olsen, SR; Bartlett, D; Franceschini, F; Berry, A; McGregor, A; Ogrin, A; Ersez, T; Kafes, A; Pangelis, S; Danilkin, SA; Stampfl, APJ