Chris Steer

Research Interests and Experience

I have a few interests including:

• Instrumentation for particle detection and environmental sensing
• Additive manufacturing and mechanical design
• Cosmic rays and their imaging applications

In the past I’ve also worked in a few other areas, focussing on the following:

• Image and data analysis algorithm development, particularly image fusion and registration
• Hyperspectral satellite image analysis
• Mathematical modelling of spectral sensors

Software

• OnShape / OpenSCAD
• Python
• C++
• Qt
• Matlab
• Geant4
• ROOT/RooFit
• Markdown for Web developement i.e. Grav and Jekyll

Hardware

• Nuclear Instrumentation Design and Build
• Environmental sensing
• Magnetic materials characterisation techniques i.e. SQUID and AC magnetic susceptometry, X-ray diffraction, four-point resisitivity

Teaching

• Module convenor for 3D Manufacturing at St Mary’s University, Twickenham
• Undergraduate tutorials in Condensed Matter Physics at Keble College, Oxford.
• Final year undergraduate project supervision
• Teaching laboratory supervision

Publications

• L. Frazao, J. Velthuis, C. Thomay, and C. Steer. Discrimination of high-Z materials in concrete-filled containers using muon scattering tomography. Journal of Instrumentation, 11(07):P07020, 2016.
• J Burns, S Quillin, M Stapleton, C Steer, and S Snow. A drift chamber tracking system for muon scattering tomography applications. Journal of Instrumentation, 10(10):P10041, 2015.
• P. Baesso, D. Cussans, C. Thomay, J. Velthuis, J. Burns, S. Quillin, M. Stapleton, and C. Steer. Degradation in the efficiency of glass Resistive Plate Chambers operated without external gas supply. Journal of Instrumentation, 10:6001P, June 2015.
• J. Burns, C. Steer, S. Quillin, and M. Stapleton. Muon Scattering Tomography using Drift Chamber Detectors. In Proceedings of Technology and Instrumentation in Particle Physics 2014 (TIPP2014). 2-6 June 2014. Amsterdam, the Netherlands., page 291, 2014.
• M. Stapleton, J. Burns, S. Quillin, and C. Steer. Angle statistics reconstruction: a robust reconstruction algorithm for muon scattering tomography. Journal of Instrumentation, 9(11):P11019, 2014.
• P Baesso, D Cussans, C Thomay, J J Velthuis, J Burns, C Steer, and S Quillin. A high resolution resistive plate chamber tracking system developed for cosmic ray muon tomography. Journal of Instrumentation, 8(08):P08006, 2013.
• D Cussans, P Baesso, J Burns, S Quillin, C Steer, C Thomay, and J Velthuis. A readout system for a cosmic ray telescope using resistive plate chambers. Journal of Instrumentation, 8(03):C03003, 2013.
• C Thomay, J J Velthuis, P Baesso, D Cussans, P A W Morris, C Steer, J Burns, S Quillin, and M Stapleton. A binned clustering algorithm to detect high-z material using cosmic muons. Journal of Instrumentation, 8(10):P10013, 2013.
• P Baesso, D Cussans, J Davies, P Glaysher, C Thomay, C Vassallo, J Velthuis, S Quillin, S Robertson, and C Steer. High resolution muon tracking with resistive plate chambers. Journal of Instrumentation, 7(11):P11018, 2012.
• P Baesso, D Cussans, C Thomay, J Velthuis, S Quillin, S Robertson, and C Steer. Muon scattering tomography with resistive plate chambers. Proceedings of IEEE NSS/MIC, Anaheim USA, 2012.
• Christopher J. Benton, Nathan D. Smith, Stephen J. Quillin, and Christopher A. Steer. Most probable trajectory of a muon in a scattering medium, when input and output trajectories are known. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 693(0):154 – 159, 2012.
• C Thomay, P Baesso, D Cussans, J Davies, P Glaysher, S Quillin, S Robertson, C Steer, C Vassallo, and J Velthuis. A novel technique to detect special nuclear material using cosmic rays. Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems, 1:235–238, 2012.
• C Thomay, P Baesso, D Cussans, J Davies, P Glaysher, S Quillin, S Robertson, C Steer, C Vassallo, and J Velthuis. Resistive plate chambers for tomography and radiography. Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems Discussions, 2(2):657–670, 2012.
• Chris Angell, Christopher Steer, and Jeremy Rogers. Image volume registration. In Third annual SEAS-DTC conference, 2008.
• Lindsay Cox, Peter Adsley, John O’Malley, Steve Quillin, Chris Steer, and Ceri Clemett. Detector requirements for a cosmic ray muon scattering tomography system. In Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record, 2008. NSS’08. IEEE, pages 706–710. IEEE, 2008.
• Christopher Steer, Jeremy Rogers, Moira Smith, Jamie Heather, Mark Bernhardt, and Duncan Hickman. Advances in image registration and fusion. In SPIE Defense and Security Symposium, pages 697404–697404. International Society for Optics and Photonics, 2008.
• M.J. Cooper, C. Shenton-Taylor, J.A. Duffy, C.A. Steer, and L.V. Blaauw. A short history of magnetic compton scattering. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 580(1):1 –7, 2007. Proceedings of the 10 th International Symposium on Radiation Physics (ISRP10).
• Duncan Hickman, Jamie Heather, and Christopher Steer. Data and image volume registration. In Second annual SEAS-DTC conference, 2007.
• C Shenton-Taylor, J A Duffy, J W Taylor, C A Steer, D N Timms, M J Cooper, and L V Blaauw. Magnetic compton scattering study of the magnetocaloric material Gd7Pd3. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 19(18):186208, 2007.
• C A Steer and M Bernhardt. Hyperspectral clutter, phenomenology, and detection algorithms. In Remote Sensing, pages 67480F–67480F. International Society for Optics and Photonics, 2007.
• C. A. Steer. Time dependence of muon spin relaxation spectra and spin correlation functions. Phys. Rev. B, 73:012408, Jan 2006.
• MJ Cooper, JA Duffy, ZF Banfield, AM Bebb, L Blaauw, C Shenton-Taylor, C Steer, and JW Taylor. Compton scattering studies of 4f ferromagnetism. Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 75(11):1638–1645, 2006.
• M. L. Brooks, S. J. Blundell, C. A. Steer, T. Lancaster, F. L. Pratt, P. Vaqueiro, and A. V. Powell. Muon spin rotation study of magnetism in electron-doped chromium sulfide. Phys. Rev. B, 72:012419, Jul 2005.
• Z F Banfield, J A Duffy, J W Taylor, C A Steer, A Bebb, M J Cooper, L Blaauw, C Shenton-Taylor, and R Ruiz-Bustos. Spin-resolved compton scattering study of RuSr2GdCu2O8. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 17(36):5533, 2005.
• Stephen J Blundell, John A Stride, Michael L Brooks, Christopher A Steer, Santosh P Nair, Peter D Battle, and Matthew J Rosseinsky. The observation of magnetic excitations in a single layered and a bilayered brownmillerite. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 17(1):99, 2005.
• Peter D Battle, Stephen J Blundell, Michael L Brooks, Maryvonne Hervieu, Czeslaw Kapusta, Tom Lancaster, Santhosh P Nair, Colin J Oates, Francis L Pratt, Matthew J Rosseinsky, et al. Ca2.5Sr0.5GaMn2O8: Diamagnetic Ga in control of the structural and electronic properties of a bilayered manganate. Journal of the American Chemical Society,126(39):12517–12527, 2004.
• Stephen J Blundell, Tom Lancaster, Francis L Pratt, CA Steer, ML Brooks, and J-F Letard. Dynamic and static muon-spin relaxation observed above and below the spin-crossover in Fe(II) complexes. In Journal de Physique IV (Proceedings), volume 114, pages 601–605. EDP sciences, 2004.
• Stephen J Blundell, Francis L Pratt, CA Steer, Ishbel M Marshall, and Jean-François Létard. A μsr study of the spin-crossover. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, 65(1):25–28, 2004.
• S. J. Blundell, C. A. Steer, F. L. Pratt, I. M. Marshall, W. Hayes, and R. C. C. Ward. Detection of magnetic order in the s = 1 chain compound LiVGe2O6 using implanted spin-polarized muons. Phys. Rev. B, 67:224411, Jun 2003.
• Stephen J Blundell, Francis L Pratt, Tom Lancaster, Ishbel M Marshall, Christopher A Steer, Sarah L Heath, Jean-François Létard, Tadashi Sugano, Dragan Mihailovic, and Ales Omerzu. μsr studies of organic and molecular magnets. Polyhedron, 22(14):1973–1980, 2003.
• Stephen J Blundell, Francis L Pratt, Ishbel M Marshall, Christopher A Steer, W Hayes, J-F Létard, Sarah L Heath, Andrea Caneschi, and D Gatteschi. Muon study of molecular magnets, spin crossover and magnetic nanodiscs. Synthetic metals, 133:531–533, 2003.
• AI Coldea, SJ Blundell, CA Steer, FL Pratt, D Prabhakaran, and JF Mitchell. Changes of the spin dynamics in perovskite and bilayer manganite. Physica B: Condensed Matter, 326(1):500–504, 2003.
• Daniel J Gallon, Peter D Battle, Stephen J Blundell, Amalia I Coldea, Matthew J Rosseinsky, and Christopher Steer. Synthesis and characterisation of Sr1.2Nd0.8Mn0.6Rh0.4O4. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 13(5):1166–1172, 2003.
• CA Steer, SJ Blundell, AI Coldea, IM Marshall, T Lancaster, PD Battle, D Gallon, AJ Fargus, and MJ Rosseinsky. A μsr study of the spin dynamics in Ir-diluted layered manganites. Physica B: Condensed Matter, 326(1):513–517, 2003.
• I. Coldea, S. J. Blundell, C. A. Steer, J. F. Mitchell, and F. L. Pratt. Spin freezing and magnetic inhomogeneities in bilayer manganites. Phys. Rev. Lett., 89:277601, Dec 2002.
• Peter D Battle, Anthony MT Bell, Stephen J Blundell, Amalia I Coldea, Daniel J Gallon, Francis L Pratt, Matthew J Rosseinsky, and Christopher A Steer. Crystal structure and magnetic properties of SrCaMnGaO5+_. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 167(1):188–195, 2002.
• Daniel J Gallon, Peter D Battle, Stephen J Blundell, Jonathan C Burley, Amalia I Coldea, Edmund J Cussen, Matthew J Rosseinsky, and Christopher Steer. Synthesis and characterization of Ru-doped n= 1 and n= 2 ruddlesden-popper manganates. Chemistry of materials, 14(9):3976–3983, 2002.
• A. I. Coldea, S. J. Blundell, I. M. Marshall, C. A. Steer, J. Singleton, F. L. Pratt, L. D. Noailles, M. J. Rosseinsky, L. E. Spring, and P. D. Battle. Evolution of the magnetic and magnetotransport properties of the Ga-substituted manganite compounds La2−xSrxMnGaO6. Phys. Rev. B, 65:054402, Dec 2001.
• P. Vaqueiro, A. V. Powell, A. I. Coldea, C. A. Steer, I. M. Marshall, S. J. Blundell, J. Singleton, and T. Ohtani. Colossal magnetoresistance in the layered chromium sulphide Cr2S3−x (x = 0.08). Phys. Rev. B, 64:132402, Aug 2001.
• Peter D Battle, Anthony MT Bell, Stephen J Blundell, Amalia I Coldea, Edmund J Cussen, Georgina C Hardy, Ishbel M Marshall, Matthew J Rosseinsky, and Christopher A Steer. Chemically induced magnetism and magnetoresistance in La0.8Sr1.2Mn0.6Rh0.4O4. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 123(31):7610–7615, 2001.

Conference Presentations, Posters and Attendance

• IEEE Symposium on Radiation Measurements and Applications 2016, University of California, Berkeley. Invited speaker and session chair
• IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium, Medical Imaging Conference, and Room Temperature Semiconductor Workshop 2016, Strasbourg, France.
• IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium, Medical Imaging Conference, and Room Temperature Semiconductor Workshop 2015, San Diego, United States.
• Technology and Instrumentation in Particle Physics 2015, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
• 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference 2015, The Hague, The Netherlands.