Planning Your Experiment

The NIST Center for Neutron Research provides neutron research facilities for researchers from industry, university, and government agencies. These facilities are operated with many different modes of access. Over 20 major instruments are available either via a scientific proposal review program, collaborative research with a NCNR research scientist, or on a commercial basis for confidential R&D. There is no access charge for research whose results are freely available to the general public, however proprietary research can be performed under full cost recovery. A monetary assistance program is available to encourage first-time users to do measurements at our facility.

1. Planning the experiment

   1. Choosing an instrument:
      • Types of samples
      • Types of measurements
      • Fields of research
      • Instruments
   2. Sample Environments and conditions to meet your needs (See Sample Environment)
   3. Consider sample specific  information (such as neutron attenuation, activation, safety)
   4. Discussion with an instrument scientist is strongly encouraged, especially if there are sample considerations (such as hazardous, toxic, or radioactive samples) or specialized equipment needs.

2. Requesting beam time

   • Obtaining beam time
   • There are two main modes of access to the NCNR instrumentation. Some instruments are available through user proposals, all instruments are available for collaborative research
     1. User proposal (IMS login)
     2. Collaborative work  and beam timetime requests (IMS login)
     3. nMAT consortium 
     4. Proprietary (please contact the Science Group Leader)

3. Security and Safety Access Requirements

   1. To be updated

4. Travel to NIST

   1. CHRNS Grad Student/Post-Doc Travel Assistance (Fall 2026 only!)
   2. Monetary Assistance U. Maryland Outreach Program (for first-time users)
   3. Monetary assistance to support graduate students

5. After your experiment

   1. Accessing data
      1. outside the NIST firewall, at http://dx.doi.org/10.18434/T4201B (as specified in our Data Management Plan)
   2. Publishing results (CHRNS and/or NIST acknowledgements, submitting summary or publication reference to the NCNR for the annual report)
   3. Getting your samples shipped back to you (talk to your local contact)

6. Resources for executing your experiment

   • Instrument Control Program {ICP}
   • New Instrument Control Environment (NICE)
   • Scientific programs to calculate and compile data for experiments
   • Neutron Scattering Reference
     • Neutron Scattering Lengths and Cross Sections
     • Chart of Nuclides
     • National Nuclear Data Center