Super microscope to see the microstructure of materials
The China Spallation Neutron Source is a major national scientific and technological infrastructure and a large-scale research platform for international cutting-edge high-tech multidisciplinary applications. The device was jointly built by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Guangdong Province. The Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is the legal person of the project, and the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences participated in the construction.
For the China Spallation Neutron Source, August 23, 2018 was an unforgettable day. On the same day, the China Spallation Neutron Source passed the national inspection and was officially put into operation.
Experts from the Acceptance Committee believe that all indicators of the China Spallation Neutron Source have reached or exceeded the approved acceptance indicators. The overall design of the device is advanced, the quality of the development equipment is excellent, the highest neutron efficiency of the target station and the comprehensive performance of the three spectrometers have reached the international advanced level.
In which fields will the spallation neutron source play a role? The reporter learned that China's spallation neutron source has achieved a series of major technical achievements in accelerators, target stations, and spectrometers, which have significantly improved my country's magnet, The technical level and independent innovation capabilities of related industries in the fields of power supplies, detectors, and electronics have enabled my country to achieve a major leap in the fields of high-current proton accelerators and neutron scattering.
"The China Spallation Neutron Source is like a 'super microscope', an ideal probe for studying the microstructure of material materials." Chen Hesheng said.
Reached the design index of 100 kW one and a half years ahead of schedule
Passing the acceptance test did not slow down the researchers of China's spallation neutron source, but made them more motivated.
According to the commissioning and operation experience of similar international devices, the China Spallation Neutron Source initially considers that the beam power will reach the design index of 100 kilowatts within 3 years after the project acceptance, that is, by August 2021.
However, the riveting researchers are bent on pushing the time forward through hard work.
In September 2018, the operating beam power was 20 kW; in January 2019, it was increased to 50 kW; in October 2019, it was increased to 80 kW.
After the Spring Festival holiday in 2020, under the condition of preventing and controlling the epidemic, the beam adjustment personnel of the Dongguan Branch of the Institute of High Energy, Chinese Academy of Sciences overcame difficulties and started the latest round of beam adjustment work on February 3.
On February 28, the target shooting beam power reached the design index of 100 kW, and the stable beam supply operation of 100 kW began. The time to reach the design index was one and a half years ahead of the original plan.
"Laying eggs along the way" produced a number of important scientific research results
It has been built, but it needs to be used well.
The China Spallation Neutron Source is oriented towards the world's frontiers of science and technology, the main battlefield of the economy, and the major needs of the country, and has produced a number of important scientific research results.
According to Chen Yanwei, deputy director of the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in the four rounds of operation completed by the China Spallation Neutron Source, there are more than 1,500 registered users, and more than 200 user projects have been completed by the four spectrometers. "" "Nature Communication" and other journals have published more than 50 articles, providing technical support for the major needs of some countries and the needs of the industry.
China's spallation neutrons continue to "lay eggs along the way".
In August this year, the Dongguan Branch of the Institute of High Energy, Chinese Academy of Sciences successfully developed my country's first independently developed accelerator boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) experimental device. The BNCT device is an industrialization project that utilizes related technologies of China's spallation neutron source. The successful development of this device has laid a technical foundation for the localization and industrialization of my country's medical BNCT treatment device, and will bring technological innovation to my country's tumor treatment.
"This also fully proves that in addition to basic research and applied research, the design and construction of large scientific devices will greatly promote the development of related industries and technological innovation." Fu Shinian, deputy manager of China Spallation Neutron Source Engineering, said.
At present, the China Spallation Neutron Source is building a cooperative spectrometer, and has applied to the country for the second phase of construction, so as to better meet the urgent needs of the national development strategy and international frontier research for neutron scattering research and application.
