Neutron guide optimisation for a time-of-flight neutron imaging instrument at the European Spallation Source.

A neutron transport system for the planned imaging instrument ODIN at the future European Spallation Source (ESS) based on neutron optical components was designed and optimized. Different ways of prompt pulse suppression were studied. The spectral performance of the optimal neutron guide configuration is presented. In addition, the influence of the gaps in the guide system needed for the required chopper configuration was investigated. Given that the requirements for an imaging instrument located on a long guide system and hosting a complex chopper system are extremely demanding in terms of spectral and divergence needs, this study can be beneficial for a wide range of instruments in various ways.

Conceptual design of a macromolecular diffractometer for the Jülich high brilliance source.

In this work, a concept for a neutron diffractometer for high-resolution macromolecular structures has been developed within the Jülich High Brilliance Neutron Source (HBS) project. The SELENE optics are adapted to the requirements of the instrument to achieve a tunable low background neutron beam at mm2 scale sample area. With the optimized guide geometry, a low background neutron beam can be achieved at the small sample area with tunable divergence and size. For the 1 × 1 mm2 sample, a flux of 1.10 × 107 n/s/cm2 for 0.38° divergence is calculated in the 2-4 Å wavelength range, which is about 84.6% of the flux at MaNDi of the high-power spallation source SNS at ORNL. Virtual neutron scattering experiments have been performed to demonstrate the instrument's capabilities for studies of mm scale samples with large unit cells. Results of Vitesse simulations indicate that unit cell sizes of up to 200 Å are possible to be resolved with the proposed instrument.

Conformational transition of aquomethemoglobin: intramolecular histidine E7 binding reaction to the heme iron in the temperature range between 220 K and 295 K as seen by EPR and temperature-jump measurements.

Temperature-dependent EPR and temperature-jump measurements have been carried out, in order to examine the high-spin to low-spin transition of aquomethemogobin (pH 6.0). Relaxation rates and equilibrium constants could be determined as a function of temperature. As a reaction mechanism for the high-spin to low-spin transition, the binding of N epsilon of His E7 to the heme iron had been proposed; the same mechanism had been suggested for the ms-effect, found in temperature-jump experiments on aquomethemoglobin. A comparison of the thermodynamic quantities, deduced form the measurements in this paper, gives evidence that indeed the same reaction is investigated in both cases. Our results and most of the findings of earlier studies on the spin-state transitions of aquomethemoglobin, using susceptibility, optical, or EPR measurements, can be explained by the transition of methemoglobin with H2O as ligand (with high-spin state at all temperatures) and methemoglobin with ligand N epsilon of His E7 (with a low-spin ground state). Thermal fluctuations of large amplitude have to be postulated for the reaction to take place, so this reaction may be understood as a probe for the study of protein dynamics.

Residual motion of hemoglobin-bound spin labels as a probe for protein dynamics.

The residual motion of spin labels bound to cysteine beta 93 of methemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin has been analyzed as a function of temperature and hydration. The rotational diffusion of the whole protein molecule has been prevented or restricted by crystallization, lyophilization or by high viscosity of the solution. The residual motion of the labels is characterized by an angle of the limited motion cone and their rotational correlation time using computer simulations of the EPR spectra. Two types of motion can be separated due to different correlation times and different dependences on temperature and hydration. One of these motional mechanisms can be shown to be determined by protein fluctuations. Correlation times of these fluctuations decrease from 2 X 10(-8) s at T = 220 K to 10(-9) s at T = 300 K in the samples of high water concentration. Strong correlation between the properties of the hydration shell and these fluctuations are observed.