Dan Porter

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Dr Dan Porter is a beamline scientist on I16. He joined Diamond in 2015 as a PDRA having previously worked at Royal Holloway, University of London.
 

Email: Dan.Porter@diamond.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1235 778345

Techniques and Disciplines

Other Specialist Areas

  • Technique developement
  • Materials
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Resonant X-ray Scattering (RXS)

Latest Publications

Current Research Interests

I work in the study of novel materials and complex phenomena. By understanding the microscopic interactions of atoms in crystalline materials we hope to learn more about the fundamental nature of phenomena such as magnetic order, superconductivity, metal-insulator transitions and fast ionic transport. By forming a better understanding of these materials we can more accurately drive materials development to produce advanced technologies.

At Diamond I am working on a number of projects, mainly based around magnetic systems. Using resonant x-ray scattering on I16 we are able to determine important information about the magnetic properties of a material, including its magnetic structure and domain size. We also make use of magnetic neutron scattering by collaborating with scientists at ISIS.

I am also collaborating with research at my previous institution, Royal Holloway, on projects involving battery materials and superconductors. This involves proposing and planning experiments, analysing results and writing reports and papers.

As well as my research activities, I also perform some local contacting duties on I16, helping users perform their experiments, setting up the beamline and providing advice on experiment strategy. I also help develop the beamline, having written software for fast viewing and analysis of the data and developing techniques that extend the beamline functionality.

Collaborations

We are working with scientists at ISIS neutron spallation source to use magnetic neutron diffraction to complement our resonant x-ray scattering studies.

I collaborate with scientists at Royal Holloway, University of London on projects involving functional materials. My role in this collaboration is to perform and analyse x-ray diffraction measurements, including lab x-ray characterisation and synchrotron measurements on I16. I also provide modelling and simulation expertise.

 
Working with scientists at the University of Oxford, we study a number of novel magnetic materials, performing x-ray and neutron scattering to determine their magnetic structure and characterising their magnetic properties.
 
 
 

Selected Publications

Suppression of thermal conductivity by rattling modes in thermoelectric sodium cobaltate
D. J. Voneshen et al. Nature Materials 12, 1028 (2013)
doi: 10.1038/nmat3739

Vacancy defects and monopole dynamics in oxygen-deficient pyrochlores
G. Sala et al. Nature Materials 13, 488-493 (2014)
doi: 10.1038/nmat3924

Crystal growth and neutron diffraction studies of LixCoO2 bulk single crystals
S. Uthayakumar et al. Journal of Crystal Growth 401, 169-172 (2014)
doi: 10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2013.11.043

Divacancy superstructures in thermoelectric calcium-doped sodium cobaltate
D. G. Porter et al. Physical Review B 90, 054101 (2014)
doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.90.054101

Two-dimensional Cs-vacancy superstructure in iron-based superconductor Cs0.8Fe1.6Se2
D. G. Porter et al. Physical Review B 81, 144114 (2015)

Magnetostriction-driven ground-state stabilization in 2H perovskites
D. G. Porter et al. Physical Review B. 94, 134404 (2016)

Magnetic anisotropy and orbital ordering in Ca2RuO4
D. G. Porter et al. Physical Review B 98, 125142 (2018)
 

 

Biography

Dan obtained an MPhys degree in Physics from the University of Liverpool in 2008. After this he moved to Royal Holloway, University of London to undertake a PhD in condensed matter physics, which he completed in 2012. His thesis was based around thermoelectric materials, using x-ray and neutron diffraction techniques to study their atomic and magnetic structures. In particular, he developed a reverse Monte Carlo program to determine the superstructures in several thermoelectric materials from diffraction data, and used these structural models to explain trends in the material’s bulk properties.

After his PhD he stayed at Royal Holloway as a postdoc, where he continued his research on thermoelectrics and started new projects on iron-selenide superconductors and spin-ice materials. As a postdoc at Diamond, Dan worked on new projects, including the use of resonant x-ray scattering techniques to determine the behaviour of frustrated magnetic materials such as the 4d ruthenate compounds. He also helped with the development of the Materials and Magnetism beamline, I16 through upgrades to the hardware and software of the beamline. Dan also became involved in establishing the Diamond Postdoc Committee, which included serving as Co-Chair and organising Diamond's first "Postdoc Careers Symposium".

Dan is now a Beamline Scientist on I16 and maintains his research focus on energy materials, magnetic scattering and beamline development. This has involved collaborations with many different groups from around the world. Dan has writtent software that allows users to analyse their data and simulate diffraction patterns, which has users in many different institutions.

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