China Spallation Neutron Source

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China Spallation Neutron Source in 2022 ChinaSpallationNeutronSource.jpg
China Spallation Neutron Source in 2022

The China Spallation Neutron Source is an accelerator-based neutron source, operated by the Institute of High Energy Physics, under construction [1] at Dongguan in Guangdong province - the first major scientific facility in south China. The project was approved by Chinese central government in 2005. Construction began 20 October 2011, [2] with commissioning planned for 2016, and operation in 2018. [3]

The source contains a proton synchrotron fed by a linear accelerator; short (<500ns) pulses of 1.63×1013 1.6 GeV protons are extracted from the synchrotron 25 times a second; [4] these pulses strike a tungsten-metal target (cooled with heavy water) to produce energetic neutrons, which are reduced to scientifically interesting energies by a variety of moderators.

The intended budget for the project is 1.5 billion CNY; [5] this limits the initial power of the machine to about 120 kW, but it has been designed so that its power can readily be quadrupled if more funding becomes available, by upgrading the linear accelerator and the RF components of the synchrotron.

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References

  1. "China Spallation Neutron Source". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  2. "China Spallation Neutron Source celebrates its groundbreaking" (Press release). Institute of High Energy Physics. 24 October 2011.
  3. "First neutron beam produced: A great milestone for China Spallation Neutron Source". Phys.org. 2017-09-06. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
  4. "China Spallation Neutron Source,Chinese Academy of Sciences". Archived from the original on 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2011-10-12.
  5. http://accelconf.web.cern.ch/AccelConf/a07/PAPERS/WEZMA02.PDF [ bare URL PDF ]