Physics research at Brock University is getting a boost thanks to Government of Canada funding for a nearby national physics facility.
The Canadian Neutron and Positron Beam Laboratory (CNBL) housed at the McMaster Nuclear Reactor in Hamilton, Ont. has received a $13.4 million Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) grant to expand its equipment. The funding was announced Friday, March 13.
Brock Assistant Professor of Physics Gavin Hester is among Brock researchers using equipment at the Canadian Neutron and Positron Beam Laboratory for their materials research.
Following the 2018 closure of Canada's National Research Universal reactor in Chalk River, Ont., Brock played a leadership role in establishing the CNBL along with 16 other universities from seven provinces. The CFI funding is spread out amongst those institutions to enable them to access the national facility.
Assistant Professor of Physics Gavin Hester says expanded infrastructure at CNBL will allow his students to advance their research on quantum magnets.
Quantum magnetism, the study of magnetic materials shaped by the unusual rules of quantum mechanics, could play an important role in the development of next-generation quantum computers, Hester says.
Quantum mechanics involves how matter and light interact on the atomic and subatomic scale. It tries to describe, and account for, the properties of molecules and atoms and the components of atoms such as electrons, protons and neutrons.
CNBL offers Hester and his students access to Canada's only neutron beams, which are used to study materials at the nano level. These beams penetrate materials including plastics, metals, steel, liquids, ceramics, cloth and cells from plants, humans and animals to expose their internal structures in a way other scientific tools are unable to do.
Findings from this type of research could be used to improve clean energy production, cancer treatments, food security and information technology devices.
"Students learning about neutron techniques really have a whole wide world of jobs they can go into with that expertise, such as developing the next generation of computing materials or semiconductors for solar panels," Hester says.
Professors of Physics Fereidoon Razavi and Thad Harroun are also accessing the CNBL for their research. Using the CNBL neutron beams, Harroun was able to examine the atomic structure of cell membranes and determine how small molecules interact with the outer layer of human cells. Razavi uses the facility for his research on superconductors.
The CFI grant also includes a program that will allow Canadian researchers and students, including those at Brock, access to leading-edge international facilities such as the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the U.K. Hester estimates the program will enable him to take about a dozen students to the U.K. facility for weeklong trips over the course of the grant.
"This opportunity provides preferential access to neutron instrumentation and will pay for my and my students' travel to the neutron lab in the U.K. to perform measurements of the structure and dynamics of new, quantum magnetic materials," he said.
The CNBL grant was part of a larger announcement naming 92 research infrastructure projects receiving support from CFI's $552-million Innovation Fund, which supports infrastructure to strengthen Canada's innovation capacity, deliver lasting benefits for Canadians and build economic resilience.
"This investment through the Canada Foundation for Innovation will equip researchers with cutting-edge, world class facilities that strengthen Canada's research infrastructure, accelerate discoveries, drive researchers to take their work to the next level and create new opportunities that will benefit Canadians across industries," said Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions in an announcement about the funding.
