Breakthroughs in medicine, energy, technology, and industry follow advances in the understanding of materials. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is at the US epicenter for one of the most powerful techniques exploring the nature of materials and energy—neutron scattering.

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is one of two the world’s most powerful sources of neutrons for research. In April 2026, the SNS celebrates 20 years of safe operations and scientific achievements.

Co-located at ORNL with the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), the SNS produces neutrons with an accelerator-based system that delivers short (microsecond) proton pulses to a steel target filled with liquid mercury through a process called spallation. Those neutrons are then directed toward state-of-the-art instruments that provide a variety of capabilities to researchers across a broad range of disciplines, such as physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science.

With its more intense, brighter source of neutrons and world-class instrument suite, SNS provides the neutron scattering community with unprecedented research opportunities. 

Neutrons have no electrical charge, which allows them to easily and safely pass through a sample, revealing information about the material’s structure and properties.

Research at the SNS strengthens America through discovery science enabled by multidisciplinary teams and advances technologies to ensure secure, affordable, and reliable energy to fuel the nation’s economic growth and energy independence.  It accelerates the transition of research into real-world applications to drive economic prosperity and give US industries an edge, and protects America’s future through scientific and technological breakthroughs that secure critical infrastructure and address emerging threats.

Learn more about how the SNS works here in this animation and see timeline, below, for some historical highlights.