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Article ID: CBB959261416

US Neutron Facility Development in the Last Half-Century: A Cautionary Tale (2015)

John J. Rush (Author)

Physics in Perspective
Volume: 17
Issue: 2
Pages: 135-155

URI: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00016-015-0158-8

DOI: 10.1007/s00016-015-0158-8

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Cross-national comparison Cross-national interaction Research institutes; research stations Research Biology Physics Neutrons 20th century, late 20th century United States

Large multi-user facilities serve many thousands of researchers in fields from particle physics to fundamental biology. The great expense—up to billions of current-day dollars—and the complexity of such facilities required access to extensive engineering and research infrastructures, most often found at national laboratories and the largest research universities. Although the development of such facilities has been largely successful and the research results unique and often spectacular, the processes for choosing, funding, and locating them were complex and not always productive. In this review, I describe the troubled efforts over the past fifty years to develop neutron research facilities in the United States. During this period, the US has moved from a preeminent position in neutron-based science to a lesser status with respect to Europe. Several major US centers of excellence have been shut down and replaced with more focused capabilities. I compare the US efforts in neutron facilities with parallel developments in Europe and Asia, discuss the reasons for this state of affairs, and make some suggestions to help prevent similar consequences in the future.

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