David Voneshan
Summer Placement sponsored by ILL
Project Title: The stoichiometric study of the laves phase compound ZrMn2
"I spent nine weeks at the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble, France, working with Dr P.P. Deen on a stoichiometric study of the laves phase compound ZrMn2. I was involved in all stages of this project from fabrication of our samples, x-ray diffraction to determine the structure (performed at the ESRF), polarised neutron diffraction to study the magnetic structure and then the analysis of this data with a program I wrote as part of this project. I was privileged to work closely with world-leading scientists at all stages of this project and hopefully this work will lead to a paper in the near future.
In addition to the fantastic science, the social aspects of the placement were also fantastic! Grenoble is sited in the heart of the French Alps, with a range of activities available such as rock climbing, mountain walking, skiing (at a glacier a couple of hours away) and a range of restaurants and bars. All in all it was an incredible experience both socially and scientifically and I recommend it whole heartedly."