In view of the immense lack of neutrons for science and industry, the two Helmholtz Centres Forschungszentrum Jülich and Hereon have jointly submitted a proposal to the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the recent call for the “National Prioritization Procedure for Large-scale Research Infrastructures” in Germany to place the High Brilliance neutron Source (HBS) project on the national roadmap of future German research infrastructures.
The proposal aims for funding of the first phase of the HBS facility – termed HBS Phase-I – to provide scientists and industrial users with neutrons at five instruments as well as a production site for medical radioisotopes. The submitted proposal is based on the elaborate Technical Design Report as published in 2023, building the HBS-I on the technical and scientific possibilities of a high current accelerator neutron source (HiCANS). The HBS-I will offer small angle scattering, diffraction, reflectometry, imaging and elemental analysis, thus serving the grand challenges in areas of life science and energy research. Easy access, a rolling proposal system and small, brilliant neutron beams with diameters of ~1 mm will enable cutting-edge research and in-situ experiments.
The instruments will be fed by a high-current proton accelerator system with 100 mA proton current and 20 MeV energy, while the moderation of neutrons is handled in an instrument-specific manner minimizing downtimes and easy replacement of components.
The project will provide pulsed neutrons with a performance similar to modern neutron user facilities. The HBS developments at JCNS are leading within the framework of HiCANS sources worldwide. The HBS-I would be the first HiCANS neutron facility in the world.
