The China Spallation Neutron Source facility has passed its national acceptance test and has officially begun operating. With it, China has become the fourth country in the world to possess such a facility. The other three are Britain, Japan and the US.

Built in Guangdong Province, the China Spallation Neutron Source, or CSNS, is the first neutron source facility in a developing country. It took scientists over six years to complete the CSNS, which includes a powerful linear proton accelerator, a rapid circling synchrotron, a target station and three neutron instruments.

The equipment can accelerate protons before smashing them into a target to produce neutrons. The neutrons are then sent to numerous instruments that are used by researchers to study materials.

Since its trial operation in March 2018, the device has been running stably. The first three spectrometers have completed 21 sample experiments, and achieved the first batch of important scientific results.

CHEN HESHENG PROJECT MANAGER, CHINA SPALLATION NEUTRON SOURCE "What matters most is the proton beam-power. We achieved 120% more than the acceptance index, which is 2.2 times. That means we have completed the construction of the project. It can be officially opened."

The spallation of a neutron is like playing atomic billiards, where a white ball knocks colored balls.

Imagine the accelerated protons as the white ball. As they smash into the colored balls of heavy metal, the metal nuclei are broken. And that's when the neutrons are freed from the nuclei.

When such free neutrons interact with nuclei of the target, some will pass directly, and some might rebound and deviate their flight direction. By examining the route of the neutron via a spectrometer, researchers can deduce the internal structure of the material, thus conducting scientific research.

CHEN HESHENG PROJECT MANAGER, CHINA SPALLATION NEUTRON SOURCE "Taking the study of fuel ice for example, we need to simulate the pressure of deep water below 1000 meters. It requires a very thick container wall, and only freed neutrons from the spallation neutron source can penetrate it. Given the neutron is sensitive to light elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, it can tell the structure of the fuel ice. After figuring out the nature of fuel ice, we can safely make use of it."

CSNS is like a super microscope and is an ideal probe for scientific research and high-tech development in many fields, such as materials science and technology, physics, life sciences, chemistry, resources and the environment.

Neutron scattering technology can be used to study the residual stress of large metal parts, which is very important for improving the design of aircraft engines and key modules for high-speed trains.

Currently, CSNS is planning a second phase of construction and upgrades, aiming to accelerate its power to five times that of now.

As it provides a comprehensive research base for various academic subjects, China is determined to play an essential role in this crucial field.