XENQ: X-rays, electrons and neutrons in quantum systems
fundamental developments in chemistry and physics to benefit bioscience and industry
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Aims of the XENQ Science Network

While the community of researchers involved in XENQ appears broad and clearly interdisciplinary, it is possible to define the scope and outreach of the Network within a coherent set of aims and goals. They are:

  • To foster interactions between theoreticians and experimentalists in developing new high precision methods of electronic structure determination and characterization
  • To explore the application of fundamental studies in physics and chemistry to emerging technologies in biosciences and the development of advanced materials.
  • To promote the new research possibilities made possible through fundamental advances in high precision spectroscopy by conducting workshops, international conferences and training programmes
  • To develop common resources and specifically make available databases of wide relevance and utility to the scientific and applied communities

A key feature of the model for the network is that the membership of each node of XENQ will consist of a broad spectrum of talent and experience sharing overlapping interests. Each node will feature researchers whose expertise is in experimental and theoretical studies of physical processes interacting with those involved in the synthesis and characterization of new materials, or with modelling the properties of these systems using computational packages. At both the pure and applied limits of this spectrum, the Network will seek the participation of Australian researchers with international reputations for excellence in their field. In many of the fields identified as falling within XENQ, Australian researchers are able to claim world leadership; in all nodal areas the reputation of Australian research is very highly regarded.

Benefits of the XENQ Science Network

New techniques will be developed to facilitate state-of-the-art experiments, new theoretical insights, and computational techniques that will each make a major impact upon scientific and applied research in these fields.

New techniques in XAFS and DAFS (Diffraction Anomalous Fine Structure) will be developed. Implementation of this in the design and application of Australian research will benefit all XAFS users and all associated research.

Other areas of expected development will have similar wide-ranging and broad-application impact.

  • The Network will promote developments of technologies that will be included in new major Australian research facilities, the Australian Synchrotron and replacement nuclear research reactor.
  • New tools and techniques in electron and X-ray diffraction will make advances towards the accurate structure determination of smaller crystals, metals, plastics and liquids; as the regular lattice becomes smaller the challenge becomes greater.
  • The Network will contribute to worldwide efforts involving 2D crystals and single (biological) molecular structure determination, as many biologically active molecules do not crystallize; the rewards in biomedical understanding would be tremendous.
  • Application to novel enzyme or drug design and function could yield large economic rewards for Australia.
  • Minerals are Australia’s largest export. This network will help to improve the industry’s efficiency in exploration and mineral processing by giving it access to state-of-the-art, specific technologies. Efficient assessment of minerals of interest or of the type of waste product from industrial processing may all yield significant economic and social benefits. The initiative will draw on its broad collaborative talent base to find practical solutions as quickly as possible.



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