Spallation Neutrons and Pressure (SNAP)

January 24, 2008--
SNS Opens Fifth Beam Line for Neutrons & Pressure Diffractometer

Present for the commissioning were (left to right): Jason Stiegel, Paul Wright, Barbara Thibadeau, Ian Evans, Chris Tulk, Ken Herwig, David Arakawa, John Haines, and Jamie Molaison. David Freeman (SNS Instrument Support Group leader) and Ian Evans (ES&H/Operations manager) watch the successful delivery of neutrons via the SNAP view screen. Chris Tulk, lead instrument scientist for SNAP.

On the morning of January 24, SNS opened its fifth beam line. Now operating on beam line 3 is the Spallation Neutrons and Pressure (SNAP) Diffractometer. SNAP is designed for studies of materials under extreme temperature and pressure conditions. The increased neutron flux of SNS, combined with SNAP's large-volume pressure cells, will provide researchers with the opportunity to conduct neutron diffraction experiments over a large range of pressures never before available here in the USA. The unique capabilities of SNAP will prove particularly useful to studies in the earth and geological sciences.

SNAP sits between the Backscattering Spectrometer and the Magnetism Reflectometer, both of which were commissioned in 2006 soon after SNS delivered its first neutrons.

The lead instrument scientist for SNAP is Chris Tulk.