“Pitting” in mercury targets–crucial test experiments at LANSCE

Abstract

Scientists from the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), which is being constructed in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA, have been using the high-intensity Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) proton beam to study issues associated with the design of their liquid-metal targets. This team is a partnership involving six DOE national laboratories (Argonne, Brookhaven, Jefferson, Lawrence Berkeley, Los Alamos, and Oak Ridge) in the design and construction of the SNS. In addition, scientists from Europe and Japan are also collaborating in these experiments because of their interest in developing high-power spallation sources at their home institutions. This extensive partnership has allowed collaborators access to the best technical expertise and most innovative technologies available. When completed, the SNS facility will be the most powerful spallation neutron source in the world for scientific research and industrial development.