China starts building phase II of spallation neutron source to help boost sci-tech innovation

SHENZHEN, March 30 (Xinhua) -- China began to upgrade its spallation neutron source, a large scientific facility dubbed as a "super microscope" to probe the structure of the microscopic world, to help boost scientific and technological innovation.

The construction of the phase II of the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), the nation's first research facility providing the most intense pulsed neutron beams for scientific research, was launched in Dongguan city, south China's Guangdong Province, on Saturday.

The CSNS phase II project includes building 11 new neutron instruments, experimental terminals and user laboratories. And the proton beam power of the source, one of the key performance indicators of the facility, is expected to increase from 100 kW to 500 kW, said Wang Sheng, deputy director of the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and general director of the project.

The construction of the CSNS phase II is expected to take five years and nine months, according to Wang.

"After completion of the phase II, the source can generate more neutrons at the same time, which means the time of the experiments could be shortened, and the resolution of the experiments could be improved, enabling the measurement of smaller samples and the study on faster dynamic processes," Wang said.

The application scope and capabilities of the CSNS will be greatly improved after the completion of the phase II, and the number of experiments will also increase significantly to assist in cutting-edge scientific research and economic development, Wang added.