Neutron Scattering In Biology

The advent of new neutron facilities and the improvement of existing sources and instruments world wide supply the biological community with many new opportunities in the areas of structural biology and biological physics. The present volume offers a clear description of the various neutron-scattering techniques currently being used to answer biologically relevant questions. Their utility is illustrated through examples by some of the leading researchers in the field of neutron scattering. This volume will be a reference for researchers and a step-by-step guide for young scientists entering the field and the advanced graduate student.

This compendium presents some of the major applications of neutron scattering techniques to problems in biology. It is a record of the papers presented at the Neutrons in Biology Conference, the third in an occasional series held to highlight progress in the field and to provide a focus for future direction. The strength ofthe neutron scattering technique remains principally in the manipula tion of scattering density through hydrogen and deuterium atoms. The development ofad vanced detectors, innovative instrument and beamline components, and sophisticated data acquisition systems through the 1970s and early 1980s provided a sound foundation for the technique. With continued development, some of the exotic and expensive equipment has become affordable by the medium-sized facilities, thereby broadening the user base considerably. Despite problems with the major neutron sources in the late 1980s and early 1990s, some spectacular results have been achieved. Whilst the high and medium flux beam reac tors will continue to make a major impact in the field, the results from the first experi ments, and the planned developments on spallation neutron sources, clearly indicate that the technique has enormous potential.

Spectroscopy in Biology and Chemistry discusses the use of thermal neutron diffraction and inelastic scattering, and the related techniques of x-ray diffraction, Raman and Rayleigh scattering, in investigating biological macromolecules and chemical systems. The book describes neutron, x-ray and laser spectroscopy; quasielastic scattering in neutron and laser spectroscopy; and interatomic forces, molecular structure and molecular vibrations. The text also discusses the x-ray crystallography of biological molecules; neutron diffraction studies of hydrogen bonding in organic and biochemical systems; and comparative x-ray and neutron diffraction from nerve myelin membranes. Neutron spectroscopy of chain polymers; chemical and biological applications of neutron inelastic scattering; and neutron scattering and optical studies of molecular vibrations are also considered. The book further tackles small angle neutron scattering from polymers; the use of tunable laser resonance Raman spectroscopy in biology; and the use photon correlation spectroscopy in biology. Students and faculty members in physics, chemistry, and biology, and research workers in related fields will find the text invaluable.

Neutron Scattering: Applications in Chemistry, Materials Science and Biology, Volume 49, provides an in-depth overview of the applications of neutron scattering in the fields of physics, materials science, chemistry, biology, the earth sciences, and engineering. The book describes the tremendous advances in instrumental, experimental, and computational techniques over the past quarter-century. Examples include the coming-of-age of neutron reflectivity and spin-echo spectroscopy, the advent of brighter accelerator-based neutron facilities and associated techniques in the United States and Japan over the past decade, and current efforts in Europe to develop long-pulse, ultra-intense spallation neutron sources. It acts as a complement to two earlier volumes in the Experimental Methods in the Physical Science series, Neutron Scattering: Fundamentals(Elsevier 2013) and Neutron Scattering: Magnetic and Quantum Phenomena (Elsevier 2015). As a whole, the set enables researchers to identify aspects of their work where neutron scattering techniques might contribute, conceive the important experiments to be done, assess what is required, write a successful proposal for one of the major facilities around the globe, and perform the experiments under the guidance of the appropriate instrument scientist. Completes a three-volume set, providing extensive coverage on emerging and highly topical applications of neutron scattering Addresses the increasing use of neutrons by chemists, life scientists, material scientists, and condensed-matter physicists Presents up-to-date reviews of recent results, enabling readers to identify new opportunities and plan neutron scattering experiments in their own field