5
Challenges and Opportunities
The management of the NCNR has effectively planned for the future and has continued to make wise investments. With the completion of the new source for producing cold neutrons and the guide hall, the NCNR is well positioned to investigate some of the most important and impactful problems in condensed matter. It is anticipated that the strategic plan, which could be completed in the coming months, will formalize the entire planning and operational process, helping to ensure that the long-term goals and objectives of the center are met.
There are a few challenges, nevertheless. Reactor fuel costs have risen by nearly a factor of 10 over the past dozen years, and while there are efforts to procure funds, it is essential that these efforts be successful. While there is an increase for reactor fuel in the fiscal year (FY) 2016 President’s budget, insufficient resources to meet fuel costs would be a devastating blow for neutron science in the United States. Any solutions, such as the implementation of user fees, that might have the effect of reducing the diversity of users or undermine the current merit review criteria, should involve the user community. Without a functioning reactor that is accessible to researchers with meritorious proposals, new scientific and technological opportunities, including energy, pharmacy, and geology, would be lost. Some users would be forced to travel abroad; some other users might no longer be able to perform neutron-scattering experiments.
Additional opportunities are possible by further developing collaborations with the very best researchers in different locations around the world. The current collaborations with researchers near the NCNR have been very fruitful. Nevertheless, NCNR activities would benefit significantly by engaging theorists who would further improve the integration of theory and experiment. Modifying the sabbatical program could help to address these issues.
An ambitious program of adding new and powerful neutron instrumentation at the NCNR is a crucial part of an overall neutron science infrastructure program needed to address the likelihood that in 2030 the user needs for access to neutron scattering facilities in the United States will not be met. Currently in the United States, there are only reactor-based user programs at NIST and ORNL (high flux isotope reactor, HFIR), and the spallation source-based program at the first target station at SNS. Planning for a second target station at SNS is underway, but even the most aggressive timeline would not result in these new facilities being available for users before approximately 2024. The Chalk River reactor-based neutron source in Canada will close by 2018 at the latest, and that will further constrain access to neutrons in North America. All of these facilities are oversubscribed by factors of between 2 and 5. Additionally, if the NCNR’s response to its reactor licensing limit of 2029 involves curtailment of availability of its resources, that could further impact users.
