Berlin 2005 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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SYRN: From quantisation in the gravitational field to correlated electron systems - Perspectives of research with neutrons

SYRN 1: Perspectives of research with neutrons

SYRN 1.1: Hauptvortrag

Dienstag, 8. März 2005, 14:00–14:30, TU HE101

The impact of neutrons on biological systems — •Olwyn Byron — Division of Infection and Immunity, Joseph Black Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK

This is an exciting time at which to be exploring biological systems with neutrons. Neutrons are of particular utility in biology because of the large negative isotropic scattering length of the 1H nucleus compared with the large positive values for common biological nuclei and the 2H nucleus. This allows contrast variation experiments to be performed in which certain components of complex biological systems are made to be invisible. In addition, neutrons do not damage biological samples in the same way as their x-ray counterparts may do.

In this talk I will review recent developments in the field and will summarise progress in the use of coherent and incoherent neutron scattering to study both the structure and dynamics of biological macromolecul es and their complexes. I will concentrate particularly on structural studies, including small-angle neutron scattering, single-crystal neutron diffraction and specular and off-specular reflectivity with reference to the role played by advances in comput ational modelling and molecular biology in promoting this work.