Fundamental physicists discover surprise new use for super-chilled neutrons to measure the movement of viruses
Thursday, September 26, 2013 - 09:00
in Physics & Chemistry
Physicists working on a 60-year-old experiment to understand the origin of matter in the universe have uncovered a new tool for studying the movement of tiny particles along a surface, such as a virus travelling along a cell membrane. The new tool utilises ultra-cold neutrons (UCNs) that move slower than most people can run and will allow scientists to map the movement of tiny objects with previously unattainable precision. This discovery, made at the Institut Laue-Langevin, the world's flagship centre for neutron science and the home of ultra-cold neutron research for over 25 years, is published today in Crystallography Reports.