China recently began the second phase of the modernization and expansion project of the “Super Microscope” facility specializing in the pulsed neutron source, with the aim of exploring the structure of the microscopic world and advancing scientific innovations in the country.
The project, which is being implemented in the city of Dongguan in southern China, includes the construction of 11 new neutron instruments, experimental stations and advanced laboratories. It is expected that the source’s proton beam power, which is one of the most important performance indicators of the facility, will increase from 100 kilowatts to 500 kilowatts, with the completion of the project taking 69 months.
Wang Yifang, Director of the Institute of High Energy Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said in an interview with the China Media Group that this stage will contribute to seeing the composition of materials more clearly, allowing for more scientific research and experiments.
The project’s capabilities and applications are expected to witness significant improvement after its completion, as it will enable a greater number of experiments to be conducted that support advanced scientific research and economic development in China.
The facility can produce protons and accelerate them before impacting them on the target to produce neutrons, and the neutron beams will be directed to hit material samples. Researchers can accurately infer the atomic composition of materials by measuring the distribution of scattered neutrons and their changes in energy and momentum.
Since its commencement of operation in August 2018, the facility has contributed to numerous applications in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science and engineering, thanks to investments exceeding 2.3 billion yuan ($325 million). The facility currently receives more than 6,000 registered users, and more than 1,500 experiments have been conducted that have achieved important scientific results.
It is worth noting that the Chinese pulsed neutron source is the fourth of its kind in the world, after those in Britain, the United States, and Japan.
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