Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Neutron spin echo
open-in-new
<p>Neutron spin echo spectroscopy is an <a href="/facts/Inelastic_neutron_scattering/wMze4rvs">inelastic neutron scattering</a> technique invented by Ferenc Mezei in the 1970s and developed in collaboration with John Hayter. In recognition of his work and in other areas, Mezei was awarded the first Walter Haelg Prize in 1999. </p><p>In <a href="/facts/Nuclear_magnetic_resonance/pGYAn9Bz">magnetic resonance</a>, a spin echo is the refocusing of <a href="/facts/Spin_(physics)/4Jvp7e8P">spin</a> magnetisation by a pulse of resonant <a href="/facts/Electromagnetic_radiation/Ynx7ujCW">electromagnetic radiation</a>. The <a href="/facts/Spin_echo/Pr2JXuJ8">spin echo</a> spectrometer possesses an extremely high energy resolution (roughly one part in 100,000). Additionally, it measures the density-density correlation (or <a href="/facts/Intermediate_scattering_function/6SxRq6FM">intermediate scattering function</a>) F(Q,t) as a function of momentum transfer Q and time. Other neutron scattering techniques measure the dynamic structure factor S(Q,ω), which can be converted to F(Q,t) by a <a href="/facts/Fourier_transform/XXhKJtc8">Fourier transform</a>, which may be difficult in practice. For weak inelastic features S(Q,ω) is better suited, however, for (slow) relaxations the natural representation is given by F(Q,t). Because of its extraordinary high effective energy resolution compared to other neutron scattering techniques, NSE is an ideal method to observe <a href="/facts/Overdamped/UW3RsjEd">overdamped</a> internal dynamic modes (relaxations) and other diffusive processes in materials such as a <a href="/facts/Polymer_blend/yoNz73uk">polymer blends</a>, <a href="/facts/Alkane/Qam7Hvmf">alkane</a> chains, or <a href="/facts/Microemulsion/IJMquT3A">microemulsions</a>. </p> <p>The extraordinary power of NSE spectrometry was further demonstrated recently by the direct observation of coupled internal <a href="/facts/Protein_dynamics/YGd6hP9U">protein dynamics</a> in the <a href="/facts/Protein/Jxmagu3E">proteins</a> <a href="/facts/NHERF1/W0woMG9U">NHERF1</a> and <a href="/facts/Taq_polymerase/ElSRbPss">Taq polymerase</a> and the <a href="/facts/Adherens_junction/CNFe2Qaj">adherens junction</a>, allowing the direct visualization of protein <a href="/facts/Molecular_machine/5VvXFnoq">nanomachinery</a> in motion. Several elementary reviews of the technique exist. </p><p>. </p>