The first scheduled user experiment on FIGARO started successfully today, 15th April 2009, to mark the exciting launch of the ILL's new horizontal neutron reflectometer. This Fluid Interface Grazing Angles ReflectOmeter is dedicated to the study of systems concerning soft matter and biology, and its horizontal sample geometry makes it particularly suitable for measurements on free liquid surfaces. Its principal features include high flux (due to supermirror-coated neutron guides at the world's most powerful neutron source), variable resolution (from a choice of six different chopper pairs) and a flexible configuration (as a result of reflection up or down options at the sample position). The reflectometer is funded under the ILL's Millennium Program.

Some members of the FIGARO team join the main proposer of the first experiment to mark the launch of the instrument (back row: Mark Jacques, Christian Pfrang, Richard Campbell, Bob Cubitt, Simon Wood and Hanna Wacklin; front row: Giuliana Manzin and Giovanna Fragneto; unfortunately Iain Sutton and Franck Cecillon could not be present but they were very much present in spirit)

FIGARO is fed with a high flux of neutrons from the ILL's reliable cold source, so it's perhaps no surprise that the first user experiment exploits the kinetic capability of the instrument. Atmospheric chemistry is the subject under investigation, and the research of Christian Pfrang (Reading University) and co-workers concerns the interaction of N2O5 gas with floating organic monolayers to mimic processes in the ozone layer. In two further experiments this cycle, Colin Bain (Durham University, UK) and student Anna Angus-Smyth (ILL) will probe adsorption kinetics in polymer/surfactant mixtures using a dedicated dynamic flow cell that is being optimised for user experiments, and Jean Dailliant (CEA, Saclay) will focus on a biological system where cyclodextrin-based polymer brushes penetrate spread lipid monolayers. Despite the diversity of these three research topics, the experiments only hint at the interesting variety of science to be conducted on the instrument in weeks to come.  In the next cycle, the 'reflection down' configuration will be exploited to conduct measurements where it is important that the neutron beam strikes a horiztonal sample from beneath, such as measurements at the liquid/liquid interface. Also, the major sample environment of the instrument, the adsorption troughs, will be put through their paces throughout June in investigations of various topics including the effects of enzymes on detergent formulations.

As FIGARO The Project turns into FIGARO The Instrument, let's indulge in a brief look back in time. The concept behind the reflectometer was put together back at the start of the millennium, and the project gained approval from the ILL Directors a few years later with Giovanna Fragneto as Project Leader, Iain Sutton as Project Engineer and Bob Cubitt as Scientific Advisor. In early 2007, Simon Wood joined the team as Instrument Technician and, just over a year ago, Richard Campbell arrived to take a leading role in the cohesion of the project and adopt the role of Instrument Responsible scientist. More recently, Hanna Wacklin, the new Instrument Co-responsible scientist, has made a great contribution to the second neutron commissioning phase of the instrument. Of course such a description of the timeline would not be appropriate without mention of the immense contributions to the construction and alignment of neutron guides by Mark Jacques. Giuliana Manzin led the development and installation of the novel 2D detector that was drilled from a single block of aluminium. The new-look instrument control software was tailored skillfully to the needs of the instrument principally by Franck Cecillon. The list goes on. The FIGARO team has so many people to thank, and in particular would like to highlight the excellent contributions from Ken Andersen, Hervé Barrias, Jérôme Beaucour, Lionel Bolore, Patrice Cogo, Emmanuel Courraud, Jean-Marc Delpierre, Frédéric Descamps, Luc Didier, Brian Glyn-Jones, Emmanuel Gomez, Miguel Gonzalez, Bruno Guerard, Benoît Jarry, Pascal Lachaume, Eddy Lelièvre-Berna, François Lemaire, Jérôme Locatelli, Regis Martin, Thierry Mary, Jacques Ratel, Peter Suttling, Peter Timmins and Pierre Thomas. What a team effort!

So, FIGARO is now open for business. You can submit proposals through the ILL's Visitor's Club, and please feel free to get in touch with the instrument team: Richard (Scientist Responsible; campbell@ill.eu), Hanna (Scientist Co-responsible; wacklin@ill.eu) and Simon (Instrument Technician; wood@ill.eu), as well as local contacts Giovanna (fragneto@ill.eu) and Bob (cubitt@ill.eu). The instrument webpages will be updated with the latest information in the coming weeks. Welcome.

There was rapid progress in the commissioning of FIGARO towards the end of cycle 153, during which time calibration tests were carried out on free liquid surfaces.  The picture here shows the time-of-flight reflectivity image of the measurement of reflected, refracted and direct beams from the surface of deuterated water. 

 ...& a big thanks to Giovanna!

Then on 1st January 2009, Giovanna Fragneto stepped aside as Project Leader and Instrument Responsible of FIGARO to concentrate on her role as the ILL Soft Matter Fellow and her foundation of the "Partnership For Soft Condensed Matter".  All the FIGARO team would like to thank Giovanna sincerely for the considerable endeavour, energy and enthusiasm she has given to the project over the last few years. Without her involvement, FIGARO would still be a distant proposition.

Thankfully, the end of one chapter marks the start of another, as Giovanna looks forward to acting as a local contact for some of the first experiments on the instrument in April.  Richard Campbell has now taken over both roles of Project Leader and Instrument Responsible, and an additional scientist will start work on the instrument in the Spring.