Bragg Institute

Dr Oliver Kirstein

Kirstien,_O_200.jpgInstrument scientist

Phone +61 (0)2 9717 9452
Email Oliver.Kirstein@ansto.gov.au

Dr Oliver Kirstein is responsible for KOWARI, the Residual-Stress Spectrometer

Oliver's fields of expertise include neutron diffraction, spectroscopy and instrumentation, residual strain / stress analysis and the dynamics of molecules containing eg CH3 groups

Oliver received his PhD in 1997 from the University of Kiel as a member of the HEGRA group, where he worked on the chemical composition of primary cosmic rays in the TeV - PeV range using atmospherical Cerenkov and 'classical' scintillation techniques. After his PhD, he spent a year in IT service management and returned to physics in the meV range in 1998, when he joined the neutron scattering group of Prof. Dieter Richter at the Research Centre Jülich. He was responsible for the high-resolution backscattering spectrometer RSSM for the new FRM-II reactor in Munich. In addition, he was a member of the indirect-geometry spectrometer group developing new spectrometers for the planned European Spallation Source.

Qualifications and achievements:

  • Postdoc at the Research Centre Juelich, Institute of Solid-State Physics (1998-2002)
  • Responsible for the high-resolution backscattering spectrometer RSSM for the new FRM-II reactor in Munich
  • Member of the indirect-geometry spectrometer group developing new spectrometers for the planned European Spallation Source
  • PhD from the University of Kiel as a member of the HEGRA group
  • Author/co-author of more than 70 scientific papers

Key Publications


O. Kirstein, M. Prager, H. Grimm, A. Buchsteiner, and A. Wischnewski, "Quasielastic neutron scattering experiments including activation energies and mathematical modeling of methyl halide dynamics", J. Chem. Phys., 127(9), Art. No. 094504 (2007).

O. Kirstein, M.I. Ripley, D. Tawfik, "Strain Scanning in Australia: Instrumentation and recent experiments", Mat. Sc. For., 539-543, pp 2228-2233 (2007)

O. Kirstein, M. Law and M. I. Ripley. "Residual stress measurements in brake rotors and gas pipelines Structural Integrity and Failure" In Press. Proc. Materials Australia (2006)

M. I. Ripley and O. Kirstein, Residual stresses in a cast iron automotive brake disc rotor, Physica B, 385-386, 604-606 (2006).

D. Tawfik, P.J. Mutton, O. Kirstein, W.K. Chiu. "A comparative study between FEA, trepanning and neutron strain diffraction on residual stresses in flash-butt welded rails." Submitted. Journal of Neutron Research (2006)

M. Prager, H. Grimm, O. Kirstein. "Using phase space transformation for an improved hybrid cold time-of-flight spectrometer." Nucl. Instr. & Methods A 554 415-426 (2005).

Curfs, C., Kirstein, O., Studer, A. J., Blevins, R., Carr, D. G., and Ripley, M. I. "Residual Stress Measurements in Australia: Present and Future." Materials Science Forum, 490-491, 218-222, (2005).

P. Bendeich, C. Curfs, O. Kirstein, G. Atkinson, R. Rogge. "Residual Stress Measurements of Laser-Clad Stainless Steel Coupons." Proc. 1st Int. Conf. Apl. of Lasers and Optics, editors M. Brandt and E. Harvey (2004).