
The Institut Laue–Langevin (ILL) is an internationally financed scientific facility, situated on the
Polygone Scientifique in
Grenoble
Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...
, France. It is one of the world centres for research using
neutron
The neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol or , that has no electric charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton. The Discovery of the neutron, neutron was discovered by James Chadwick in 1932, leading to the discovery of nucle ...
s. Founded in 1967 and honouring the
physicist
A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
s
Max von Laue
Max Theodor Felix von Laue (; 9 October 1879 – 24 April 1960) was a German physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1914 "for his discovery of the X-ray diffraction, diffraction of X-rays by crystals".
In addition to his scientifi ...
and
Paul Langevin
Paul Langevin (23 January 1872 – 19 December 1946) was a French physicist who developed Langevin dynamics and the Langevin equation. He was one of the founders of the '' Comité de vigilance des intellectuels antifascistes'', an anti-fascist ...
, the ILL provides one of the most intense neutron sources in the world and the most intense continuous neutron flux in the world in the moderator region: 1.5×10
15 neutrons per second per cm
2, with a thermal power of typically 58.3 MW.
The ILL neutron scattering facilities allow the analysis of the structure of conducting and magnetic materials for future electronic devices, the measurement of stresses in mechanical materials. It also allows investigations into
macromolecular assemblies
In molecular biology, the term macromolecular assembly (MA) refers to massive chemical structures such as viruses and non-biologic nanoparticles, cellular organelles and cell membrane, membranes and ribosomes, etc. that are complex mixtures of p ...
, particularly
protein dynamics and
biomolecular structure
Biomolecular structure is the intricate folded, three-dimensional shape that is formed by a molecule of protein, DNA, or RNA, and that is important to its function. The structure of these molecules may be considered at any of several length sca ...
. It is a world-renowned centre for
nanoscale science.
History

The institute was founded by France and Germany, with the United Kingdom becoming the third major partner in 1973. These partner states provide, through
Research Councils
Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...
, the bulk of its funding. Ten other countries have since become partners. Scientists of institutions in the member states may apply to use the ILL facilities, and may invite scientists from other countries to participate. Experimental time is allocated by a scientific council involving ILL users. The use of the facility and travel costs for researchers are paid for by the institute. Commercial use, for which a fee is charged, is not subject to the scientific council review process. Over 750 experiments are completed every year, in fields including
magnetism
Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that occur through a magnetic field, which allows objects to attract or repel each other. Because both electric currents and magnetic moments of elementary particles give rise to a magnetic field, ...
,
superconductivity
Superconductivity is a set of physical properties observed in superconductors: materials where Electrical resistance and conductance, electrical resistance vanishes and Magnetic field, magnetic fields are expelled from the material. Unlike an ord ...
,
materials engineering
Materials science is an Interdisciplinarity, interdisciplinary field of researching and discovering materials. Materials engineering is an engineering field of finding uses for materials in other fields and industries.
The intellectual origi ...
, and the study of
liquid
Liquid is a state of matter with a definite volume but no fixed shape. Liquids adapt to the shape of their container and are nearly incompressible, maintaining their volume even under pressure. The density of a liquid is usually close to th ...
s,
colloid
A colloid is a mixture in which one substance consisting of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles is suspended throughout another substance. Some definitions specify that the particles must be dispersed in a liquid, while others exte ...
s and biological substances such as
proteins
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, re ...
.
The high-flux
research reactor
Research reactors are nuclear fission-based nuclear reactors that serve primarily as a neutron source. They are also called non-power reactors, in contrast to power reactors that are used for electricity production, heat generation, or maritim ...
produces neutrons through fission in a compact-core fuel element.
Neutron moderators cool the neutrons to wavelengths usable experimentally. Neutrons are then directed at a suite of instruments to probe the structure and behaviour of many forms of matter by elastic and
inelastic neutron scattering, and to probe the fundamental physical properties of the
neutron
The neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol or , that has no electric charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton. The Discovery of the neutron, neutron was discovered by James Chadwick in 1932, leading to the discovery of nucle ...
.
Fission products and
gamma rays
A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol ), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from high energy interactions like the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei or astronomical events like solar flares. It consists o ...
produced by nuclear reactions in the reactor core are also used by the instrument suite.
In 2000 began the introduction of new instruments and instrument upgrades. The first phase has already resulted in a 17-fold gains in performance. The second phase started in 2008: it comprises the building of 5 new instruments, the upgrade of 4 others, and the installation of 3 new neutron guides.
EPN Science Campus
The ILL shares its site, the 'epn science campus', with other institutions including the
European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) and the
European Molecular Biology Laboratory
The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to molecular biology research and is supported by 29 member states, two prospect member states, and one associate member state. EMBL was created in ...
(EMBL) and the
Unit for Viral Host Cell Interactions (UVHCI). The French Institut de Biologie Structural (IBS) joined the campus in 2013.
Participants

The ILL is governed by its Associates.
Applications research
In 2019, researchers unravelled information about a protein causing progressive diseases.
In summer 2016 the Institut Laue–Langevin demonstrated that a molecule called
ectoine is used by
Halomonas titanicae
''Halomonas titanicae'' is a gram-negative, halophilic species of bacteria which was isolated in 2010 from rusticles recovered from the wreck of the RMS ''Titanic''. It has been estimated by Henrietta Mann, one of the researchers that first iso ...
near the wreck of
RMS Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that Sinking of the Titanic, sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking Iceberg that struck the Titanic, an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York Ci ...
to survive the osmotic pressure that salt water causes on their membranes.
Awards and recognitions
The physicist
Duncan Haldane who worked at the institute from 1977 to 1981 received the
Nobel Prize in Physics
The Nobel Prize in Physics () is an annual award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions to mankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the ...
in 2016 with
Michael Kosterlitz and
David J. Thouless for their work on the transitions of topological phases in the material.
Rudolf Mössbauer, Nobel Prize in Physics in 1961, succeeded
Heinz Maier-Leibnitz
Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (28 March 1911, in Esslingen am Neckar – 16 December 2000, in Allensbach) was a German physicist. He made contributions to nuclear spectroscopy, coincidence measurement techniques, radioactive tracers for biochemistry and m ...
in 1972 as the director of the institute.
The physicist
Philippe Nozières, who worked at the institute from 1972 until his retirement, received the
Wolf Prize
The Wolf Prize is an international award granted in Israel, that has been presented most years since 1978 to living scientists and artists for "achievements in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among people ... irrespective of natio ...
in 1985, together with
Conyers Herring, for their major contributions to the fundamental theory of solids, especially the behaviour of electrons in metals.
Techniques
*
Neutron diffraction
Neutron diffraction or elastic neutron scattering is the application of neutron scattering to the determination of the atomic and/or magnetic structure of a material. A sample to be examined is placed in a beam of Neutron temperature, thermal or ...
**
Small angle neutron scattering
**
Neutron reflectometry
*
Inelastic neutron scattering
**
Neutron triple-axis spectrometry
**
Neutron time-of-flight scattering
**
Neutron backscattering
**
Neutron spin echo
*
Neutron imaging
Neutron imaging is the process of making an image with neutrons. The resulting image is based on the neutron attenuation properties of the imaged object. The resulting images have much in common with industrial X-ray images, but since the image i ...
See also
*
Inorganic Crystal Structure Database
Inorganic Crystal Structure Database (ICSD) is a chemical database founded in 1978 by Günter Bergerhoff at the University of Bonn in Germany and I. D. Brown at McMaster University in Canada. It is now produced by FIZ Karlsruhe in Europe and t ...
(ICSD)
References
Sources
The 2017 ILL annual reportLe Journal du CNRS, printemps 2019: Ces laboratoires qui illuminent l'Europe
External links
*
Institut Laue-LangevinILL general presentation film
{{DEFAULTSORT:Institut Laue-Langevin
Neutron facilities
Physics research institutes
Research institutes in France
Science and technology in Grenoble