2009/07/01
Call for Letters of Intent in 2009 on Neutron Instruments at the Spallation Neutron Source at MLF of J-PARC, JAEA-KEK Joint Project on High Intensity Proton Accelerators
Submission of LoI is accepted at anytime.
The LoI which is submited unti January 15 is reviewed in this Japanese fiscal year and the review results are notified to the proposers by the end of March.
(a) Proposal of a FULL-SPEC INSTRUMENT
The proposers should be responsible for the following items: design, construction, maintenance and improvements of the neutron beamline, radiation shield, main unit of the instrument, and its sample-environment equipment, and a data acquisition devices system etc. The proposers can exclusively use the available machine time of the instrument and at the same time should take obligations to support general users who use the rest of the machine time.
(b) Proposal of a DEVELOPMENT OF AN INSTRUMENT OR DEVICES
Using a specific test beam port, the proposers could perform a proof-of-principle-type test experiment of a specific instrument or test sample-environment equipments, peripheral devices, neutron devices, & detectors, instrument control and data analysis system and so on. Proponents in this category could plan to construct a test port in cooperation with J-PARC Center to promote their proposals more efficiently with other proposals.
(c) Proposal of an IDEA OF INNOVATIVE INSTRUMENTS/DEVICES
We encourage people to propose ideas of novel and innovative instruments and/or devices. A proposal for an innovative idea is welcome. J-PARC center will support to maintain a list of such new ideas and help organizing a new research-group that will make the ideas to reality.
A proposal must be prepared in accordance with the instruction described in "Attachment 1" included herewith.
Each LoI will be reviewed first by a peer-review group at the Instrument Program Review Committee on the basis of the selection criteria described in the following section. The review committee member is authorized by the Director of J-PARC Center, where additional specialists are participated if necessary. The results of the review are notified to the proposers from Director of J-PARC Center.
The proposers accepted by the first review process of a full-spec instrument and a development of an instrument or devices are asked to submit a detailed proposal of neutron instrument installation to the Director of J-PARC Center for the second stage review, in which the following details are reviewed; executive plan of budget to be obtained by the proposers, instrument construction schedule, desired beam port, safety, instrument maintenance and management plan, utilization plan, and so on. The application form of the proposal will be mailed to the proposers with the notice of acceptance of the first review. The Neutron Instrument Program Review Committee reviews the detailed proposal of neutron instrument installation referring to the comments of the members of J-PARC Center and gives recommendations to The Director of J-PARC Center. The result of the second stage review is notified to the proposers from the Director of J-PARC Center.
The followings are the selection criteria.
For the proposals of a full-spec instrument, and a development of an instrument or devices
For the proposals of an idea of innovative instruments/devices
Send the LoI by e-mail or normal mail to:
Dr. N. Saito
J-PARC Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency,
2-4 Shirakata, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki 319-1195, JAPAN
Dr. M. Nakamura
Phone: +81-29-284-3888
FAX: +81-29-284-3889
E-mail: mitsutaka.nakamura@j-parc.jp
Dr. T. Yokoo
Phone: +81-29- 879-6191
FAX: +81-29- 864-3202
E-mail: tetsuya.yokoo@kek.jp
1) Full-spec instrument includes all devices and apparatus necessary for proposed experiments, i.e. neutron beam-line components, radiation shield, main unit of the instrument, and its sample-environment equipment, and a data acquisition devices system etc.
2) After the proposal is accepted, the proposer must be encouraged to get budget to construct proposed instrument and install the instrument. The proposer is also requested to promote proposed research activities and be responsible for maintenance, management and improvement of the instrument. For the special proposal which is recognized as superior by the Neutron Instrument Program Review Committee, J-PARC Center would take some consideration about the budget, construction and maintenance of the instrument if necessary.
3) A finite duration of years is imposed on the proposed instrument for its occupation of assigned beam port. The duration will be set by the contract and 10 years at the longest. Also, the instrument will be reviewed at the middle of the duration for justify the reasonability of occupation for the rest years. It can be extended if the review committee approves it.
4) The group that proposed and constructed the instrument has a right to use certain fraction of beam time for their own scientific programs, whereas the remaining beam time must be open to general users.
For the general user’s usage, a separate PAC (program advisory committee to be organized in future) will select the proposals.
5) The length of occupation duration and the portion of beam time for own scientific programs are discussed and assigned by the Neutron Instrument Program Review Committee.
6) After acceptation of LoI, the name of principle proposer and the brief description of the proposal are announced for the public by web or other means.
1) Instruments or devices in this category is correspond to a part of the full-spec instrument, i.e. neutron beam-line components, radiation shield, main unit of the instrument, and its sample-environment equipment etc., and are developed for purpose of test or prototype of sample-environment equipment, neutron device and/or detectors, control and analyses and so on. It is probable to construct a test port for realizing the proposals in cooperation between J-PARC Center and the proposers’ group when some proposals are accumulated.
2) After the proposal is accepted, the proposer must be encouraged to get budget to construct and install the proposed instrument or devices. The proposer is also requested to promote proposed research and development activities. For the special proposal which is recognized as superior by the Neutron Instrument Program Review Committee, J-PARC Center would take some consideration about the budget, construction and maintenance of the instrument if necessary.
3) There is no duration for its occupation of assigned beam port for the proposed instrument or devices. However, the proposer is requested to be reviewed of his activities every year by the neutron instrument review committee.
4) The proposers has a right to use all beam time available for their own research and development. In case some proposals desire the same beam port, the beam time of individual proposer is assigned by the Neutron Instrument Program Review Committee.
5) After acceptation of LoI, the name of principle proposer and the brief description of the proposal are announced for the public by web or other means.
1)This proposal is the idea of the instrument including neutron beam-line components, radiation shield, main unit of the instrument, and its sample-environment equipment etc., and that of a part of the instrument. The idea for the principle for neutron spectrometry is also included. The proposals of immature ideas are also welcome.
2)J-PARC Center registers the proposed ideas and lists them on the web pages of J-PARC.
3)J-PARC Center supports the proposers to organize group to study the proposed ideas so that they could propose a full-spec instrument and/or the instrument for test or development in future.
We will support you in preparations for the LoI. We will provide you any help, any necessary information and any other assistance. Please do not hesitate to contact us.
From the safety point of view, the proposers must design their instruments, devices, control systems, etc. using the standards of J-PARC Center.
J-PARC Materials and Life Science Facility Experimental Apparatus Installation Manual (Edition 1) (in Japanese) are available, in which all necessary technical information about neutron source, beamlines, specifications of experimental hall etc. are described. Please contact us to get this manual.
The proposers are asked to make a contract with the organization having responsibility for operation of J-PARC about details regarding to the installation the accepted neutron instrument.
The current status of the MLF experimental hall and the instruments as well as the proposals is updated on the J-PARC web pages.
http://j-parc.jp/MatLife/en/instrumentation/ns.html
The proposers accepted by the first review process of a full-spec instrument and a development of an instrument or devices are asked to submit a report every year and will be interviewed if it is necessary. The proposers accepted by the second review process of a full-spec instrument and a development of an instrument or devices will be interviewed until the proposed instrument/device comes to the construction stage. At the construction stage, the proposers will be occasionally asked to report on the status
The proposals accepted by the review process of a full-spec instrument and a development of an instrument or devices are valid for three years after the date of the acceptance.
In the case of submitting the proposal which has been accepted and has been expired after three years from the date of the acceptance, the first review process may be skipped. Please ask detail to the contact persons written in I-8.
J-PARC Center