• The generation and diagnostics of extreme states of matter as appearing in the interior of planets, brown dwarfs and stars is one of the key scientific challenges in a number of scientific fields. These include:
• Generation of such conditions at FLASH at the future free electron laser facility (European XFEL).
  
• Generation of higher pressures in static experiments both in the laboratory and at synchrotron facilities (PETRA III).
  
• Development of new diagnostic tools.
  
• Predictions of high pressure and temperature properties of materials from ab initio methods.
  
• Application of such results to the study of interior of planetary and astrophysical bodies.

To bring together researchers from these different fields in the physical sciences a workshop series has been established by DESY, XFEL GmbH, DLR Berlin, the University of Rostock and Bayerisches Goinstitut to discuss related topics and problems. Earlier workshops were held at DESY Hamburg (2012), DLR Berlin (2013), University of Rostock (2014) and the Bayerisches Geoinstitut at the University of Bayreuth. The aim of the upcoming workshop is to continue the discussion of scientific questions with relevance for extreme planetary environments in terms of high pressure (HP) and high temperature (HT). The conditions prevalent in the deep interiors and atmospheric envelopes of solar system planets, their satellites as well as massive solid and gas giant extrasolar planets, respectively, and are not fully accessible by conventional experimental and theoretical methods. New and enabling techniques to be used in the HP/HT regime are based on the combination of intense pulsed X-ray sources with pulsed sample excitation, in particular but not exclusively related to high energy optical lasers. Simultaneously, ab initio simulations for matter under extreme conditions provide a more and more predictive data set for planetary interiors in this HP/HT regime.

The following topics will be part of the workshop:

• Evolution and structure of giant planet interiors
  
• Interior structure, bulk composition, and internal geodynamics of solid planets
  
• Deep volatile cycles and exchange processes between geochemical reservoirs
  
• Physics and chemistry of impact processes
  
• Equations of state, petrology, and geochemistry of planetary materials
  
• Melting relations and phase transformations of materials at extreme states
  
• Dynamic and ultrafast processes in strongly excited solids or similar,
  
• Compression experiments using high-power optical and free electron lasers
  
• Laboratory experiments using multi-anvil and diamond-anvil cells
  
• Ab initio simulation studies for matter under extreme conditions

VUVX2016 is the third conference following a merger of two long standing conference series â€" the International Conference on Vacuum Ultraviolet Radiation Physics (last meeting was the 15th in that series, VUV-15 in Berlin, Germany in July 2007) and the International Conference on X-ray and Inner-shell Processes (last meeting was the 21st in that series, X-08 held in Paris in June 2008).Â

This international conference will bring together scientists from all over the world, working in fields involving electromagnetic radiation in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV), soft X-ray and hard X-ray spectral regions generated by synchrotron, laser, or plasma based sources. Topics to be covered range from instrumentation and methods development to applications in a variety of fields.

Topics

• New Sources: diffraction limited storage rings, free electron lasers, ultrashort pulse XUV lasers and X-ray tabletop sources
• Resonant elastic and inelastic X-ray scattering
• X-ray absorption spectroscopy incl. linear, circular and magnetic dichroism spectroscopy
• Photoemission (angle/spin/time resolved, soft X-ray, hard X-ray, resonant, etc.)
• Imaging with nanoscale resolution: X-ray microscopy, coherent diffraction imaging, scanning small-angle X-ray scattering etc.
• Coincidence spectroscopy
• Theory of X-ray spectroscopy and diffraction
• Advanced data analysis methods
• Time-resolved spectroscopy
• In situ and operando applications

The 4th International Soft Matter Conference will be held at the Alpexpo Alpes Congrès in Grenoble, France from 12-16th September 2016. Three previous conferences were held in Aachen (2007), Granada (2010) and Rome (2013), and brought together up to 800 experimentalists and theorists working in the Soft Matter field.

The conference covers both the fundamental and applied aspects of Soft Matter and Complex Systems.

Local organisers of ISMC2016 include scientists from the large-scale facilities ILL and ESRF as well as from the Grenoble University and other research organisations such as CEA, CNRS, and INPG in Grenoble.

Topics

• Active Matter
• Biomaterials
• Cellular Biophysics
• Colloids and Polymers (including Biopolymers)
• Organisation and Dynamical Processes in Complex Fluids
• Functional Soft Materials and Soft Matter Technology
• Self Assembly
• Microfluidics and Interfacial Phenomena
• Soft Glasses, Gels and Foam

Emerging Topics in the Behavior of Neat and Hybrid Polymer Materials

We are happy to announce VI-th National Crystallographic Symposium (NCS2016) that will be held on October 05-07, 2016, Sofia, Bulgaria.

As you may have already recognized this is will be the sixth "NCS" of the series started in 2009.

We have already started the preparation of the next issue of the conference (submitted manuscripts will be published in the journal “Bulgarian Chemical Communications”, a special issues due April 2017).NCS16 papers will also be online available in full text via the present platform.  You are warmly invited to come and join us!

NCS2016 is held under the auspices of BCS and is the major event on Crystallography, crystal growth, structure analyses and related techniques in Bulgaria. The Symposium aims at the applications of different crystallographic techniques in combination with other methods in the fields of materials sciences, mineralogy, biology, environmental engineering, computational methods etc. Bringing together researchers from different areas NCS16 will provide them with a high-qualified platform for them to share their latest studies and to assist further findings and collaboration.

With passionate participants from the world, NCS2016 Â would be perfect for you to present your research and find collaboration for your future work.

New Kinds of Electronic Order in Quantum Materials

The conference will include invited talks and contributed poster presentations covering the following topics:Â

• High temperature thermal analysis and calorimetry
• In situ high temperature X-ray and neutron diffraction
• High temperature thermodynamic properties from mass spectrometry and other equilibrium experiments
• Radiation thermometry
• Experimental determination of phase diagrams
• First principles computations of structural and thermodynamic properties at high temperatures

The aims of the conference are to disseminate information on experimental and computational methods suitable for structural and thermodynamic studies of oxides at temperatures above 1500°C, to promote collaboration between research groups in the field, and to delineate bottleneck experimental and computational issues to focus on in future research.

Technical Workshops: October 20, 2016

• Brian Toby GSAS-II Workshop
• Netzsch Workshop
• Setaram Workshop

STOHT Conference: October 21-22, 2016

The Intersection of Organic and Hybrid Materials for Electronics and Optoelectronics

Mechanical Quantum Systems: From Fundamental Physics to Real World Applications

Beyond Standard Optomechanics: Exploring New Mechanical Interactions

DPG Frühjahrstagung (Spring Meeting) of the Condensed Matter Section (SKM) with the divisions and working groups:

• Biological Physics
• Chemical and Polymer Physics
• Dielectric Solids
• Thin Films
• Dynamics and Statistical Physics
• Semiconductor Physics
• Magnetism
• Metal and Material Physics
• and the working group Metal and Material Physics
• Mikroprobes
• Surface Science
• Physics of Socio-Economic Systems
• Low Temperature Physics
• Environmental Physics
• Vacuum Science and Technology
• Crystallography
• Working Group Equal Opportunities
• Working Group Industry and Business
• Working Group Energy
• Working Group Information
• Working Group young DPG
• Working Group Physics and Disarmament

Eighth in the series, the American Conference on Neutron Scattering (ACNS 2016) will provide essential information on the breadth and depth of current neutron-related research worldwide. A strong program of plenary, invited and contributed talks showcase recent scientific results in neutron science in a wide range of fields, including sources, instrumentation and software; hard condensed matter; soft matter; biology; materials chemistry and materials for energy; engineering and industrial applications; and neutron physics.

The conference will be held on board the historic Queen Mary in Long Beach, California and is hosted by the Neutron Scattering Society of America.

HERCULES is a European course for PhD students and young researchers using Neutrons and Synchrotron Radiation for applications in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Hard & Soft Condensed Matter.

   The 1-month school includes lectures (60%), hands-on practicals and tutorials at partner institutes (DESY and European XFEL in Hamburg, Ellettra and FERMI in Trieste, ESRF, ILL in Grenoble, Soleil and LLB near Paris, SLS in Switzerland) and Grenoble Laboratories (CEA, CNRS, EMBL, IBS).

   The school includes a common part and two parallel sessions:

• Biomolecular, soft condensed matter structure & dynamics
• Physics and chemistry of condensed matter

  Â

   Why join Hercules ?

• to learn new techniques using neutron and synchrotron radiation
• to expand your theoretical and practical knowledge, not only for your present research but for your scientific career
• to experiment these techniques on world-class instruments & beamlines
• to build a network of relations with fellow young researchers and experienced teachers from all around the World

Deadline for application:Â Â 31 October 2015

Bursaries/reduced costs: a limited number of bursaries will be available either to reduce registration fees or cover travel costs.

Common Lectures:

• Interaction of X-rays and neutrons with matter (absorption, elastic and inelastic interactions, ...)
• Sources (neutron, synchrotron, XFEL)
• Detectors
• Optics &instrumentation
• Diffraction (single crystal, powder..)
• Scattering (elastic, inelastic..)
• Spectroscopy
• Imaging (Absorption, coherent,..)
• etc.
  

Session A: Applications to Biomolecular, Soft Condensed matter, Structure and Dynamics

• Protein structure and dynamics
• Studies in solutions
• Partially ordered systems
• Membranes, fibres and muscles
• Crystallography of viruses and ribosomes
• Structural genomics
• Biomedical applications (imaging, therapy)
• Time-resolved and ultra-fast X-ray science
• Biology with 4th generation sources
• etc.
  

Session B: Applications to Physics and Chemistry of Condensed Matter

• Neutron and X-ray (and UV and IR) spectroscopies
• X-ray reflectivity and diffraction of nano systems
• Single crystal and powder diffraction
• Coherent imaging and tomography
• Neutron and X-ray magnetic scattering
• Polarized X-rays and neutrons
• FEL and ultra fast X-ray science
  
• etc.

Pioneering Protection in Aggressive Environments