Virtual Experiments
The MAGNET simulation activities are based on the software packages; McStas (neutron scattering) McStas homepage and McXtrace (X-rays) McXtrace homepage, both developed by MAGNET staff in collaboration with international research facilities.
The packages are designed to simulate neutron and X-ray scattering instruments and experiments and both of McStas and McXtrace are:
- Build from a shared repository on GitHub
- Open Source (GPL)
- Multiplatform, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux
- May perform fully parallelized calculations using MPI or Nvidia GPUs
- Fast and Scalable
- Easily extendable
Proliferation
Based on more than 25 years of history, the McStas software is used at all major neutron facilities around the world; Research reactors and Spallation sources alike. As an example, all ESS instruments have been designed using McStas.
The McXtrace project was started in 2009 based on McStas technology and is now used at X-ray scattering facilities around the world and is the chosen optics simulation tool for the ATHENA telescope (ESA).
McXtrace collaboration
McXtrace is currently developed in a partnership between DTU Physics and Synchrotron SOLEIL and has ties to the Danish involvement in the MAX-IV facility. Through a collaboration with DTU Space McXtrace is applied for design of instrumentation for ESA, e.g. the proposed Athena X-ray telescope.
McStas and McXtrace Workshops
The simulation group makes it a priority to hold training workshops/tutorials and attend conferences - in an effort to help our users reach their goals and gain valuable insights in new instrument developments.
MAGNET is leading the design effort of the BIFROST instrument@ESS. An effort which involves lots of CPU-hours of McStas-simulations.
In collaboration with DTU SPACE and ESA, MAGNET develops digital models of the optics of the ATHENA Space X-ray telescope.
The next step in High Performance Computing is to run scientific software on GPUs. The McStas/McXtrace-team is researching and developing tools for harnessing this power
Student Projects
We are happy to offer a range of student projects that can easily be tailored to your interests.
Find the current listings by searching McStas or McXtrace in the DTU career hub
Projects can be tailored to almost any level, harnessing the modular nature of McStas/McXtrace, either as combinations with experiments or purely theoretical exercises.
Examples:
- McStas:
- Help us simulate prospect instrumentation for ESS
- Help us modernize the 3D visualization
- Develop models of sample environments for ESS
- Study resolution properties of the ESS BIFROST instrument
- McXtrace
- The effect of dust contamination on telescope mirror performance.
- General functional series expansion to enhance source sampling.
- Calibration of X-ray source models vs Experiments.