To celebrate 40 years of the ISIS Neutron and Muon source, the research facility has launched a coffee table book that showcases all aspects, and key milestones, of operations over last four decades: from science to staff and instruments to infrastructure. 

Established in 1984 and inaugurated in 1985 by then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, ISIS has since become a global leader in scientific research using neutrons and muons. It has welcomed well over 60,000 scientists from over 40 countries and driven advancements across numerous fields.

Thanks to the capabilities of ISIS and its staff, researchers have been able to make advancement in areas including the following.

Improving batteries: Improving the efficiency, safety and lifespan of batteries used in renewable energy storage systems and electric vehicles.

Enhancing solar energy technology: Aiding our understanding of how the materials inside solar cells work to enhance the efficiency of out solar panels, making the solar energy more accessible and cost-effective for UK households and businesses.

Industrial product enhancement: Supporting advances in various industrial products, from airplane components to shampoos, where development have led to improve the performance and safety of everyday products.

Medical and biological research: Understanding of complex biological systems, like the structure of proteins and molecule behaviours inside living organisms, with far-reaching implications for the development of new drugs and treatments.

Discovering historical secrets: Learning more about the world’s history, investigating ancient bronze swords and roman gold coins, shedding light on the economic state of previous civilisations.

Neutrons and muons: To generate neutrons and muons, ISIS operates a particle accelerator that produces intense pulses of protons travelling at about 84% the speed of light. To put this in perspective, we could travel around the Earth approximately six times in a second at this speed. These proton pulses are fired at targets made of tungsten, to ‘chip off’ neutrons in a process called spallation. Before they hit the neutron target, some of the protons are fired at a separate carbon target that generates pions, which decay into muons.

Understanding the building blocks of life: The way that neutron and muon particle beams interact with materials can reveal structure and behaviour at the atomic and molecular level. These insights enable researchers to understand the building blocks of life, explore the quantum world, and develop sustainable products and processes.

And looking ahead a £93 million Endeavour Programme is underway, a bold step forward, introducing four cutting-edge instruments and five major upgrades over the next decade, ensuring that ISIS remains a global leader in neutron and muon​ science. Endeavour will revolutionise the development of materials for energy storage, carbon capture and sequestration, advanced reactors, drug delivery, vaccine production, and chemical industry catalysts.

You can read more about ISIS, its scientific achievements and its exciting future plans here.