How to Apply for Neutron Beam Time
BENSC is open to both the national and the international user community with up to 70% of the beam time available to external users. The main portion of this beam time is foreseen for short term research proposals.
Application
Applications for access to the BENSC facilities should be made electronically by use of the general access tool GATE.
HZB strongly encourage projects with complementary use of neutrons and synchrotron radiation. For more details on the available methods and stations at the synchrotron facility, please refer directly to the HZB Photons web pages.
Local Contact
All external users must have a local contact, who helps to prepare and to perform the experiments. Please try to find a local contact by getting in touch with eligible BENSC instrument scientists well in advance. Proposals should be prepared carefully and in close collaboration with the local specialists and the instrument responsible.
Deadlines
The deadlines for submission of short term proposals for neutron experiments at BER II and synchrotron radiation experiments at BESSY II are:
1 March and 1 September annually
Urgent research proposals and industrial research
Urgent scientific research proposals as well as indurstrial research may apply for director's beamtime anytime by contacting directly the head of User Operation-Neutrons.
Allocation
The short term beam time is allocated at sessions of the HZB Scientific Colleges, held on a semi-annual basis. The HZB Scientific Colleges assess the scientific merit of proposals and decides on priorities and beam time allocation. The decision is based on the information given in the proposal and - in case of a continuation - on presented experimental reports.
Fees
The services of BENSC are free of charge for members of universities and other public institutions. The readiness to publish the scientific results in internationally accepted journals is prerequisite for the charge-free admission of external users.
Industrial applicants should contact the head of User Operation-Neutrons.
Publications
Publications should include proper mentioning of the BENSC facilities and give proper credit to BENSC staff members. BENSC scientists have spent most of the past several years building up the instrumentation now available, therefore it is understood that the instrument responsibles in any case and BENSC scientists, who substantially contribute to experiments, appear as major authors in all publications of results derived from experiments at BENSC. (This condition might be dropped with explicit agreement of BENSC in individual cases for frequent users of instruments in routine operation for a longer period of time.)
Experimental Reports
The results of all measurements must be reported to the HZB Scientific Collegs.
A call for reports is going out in January every year. These experimental reports are intended as interim summaries of the experiments carried out at BENSC. For statistics the users are also asked to hand in a list of publications, theses and conference or seminar contributions based on results from BENSC experiments.
BENSC reserves the right to include the reports and results together with the statistics in its Annual Scientific Report.
The submission of the experimental reports is made via GATE.
Travel and subsistence support
Limited BENSC funds are available to assist with travel and subsistence expenses, whereby users from German universities get preferential treatment. Normally, one scientist per experiment is supported by BENSC.
In addition, users from laboratories in EU Member States and Associated States are eligible for a travel grant provided by the European Commission under the Access actions for the new 7th Framework Programme. Certain priority will be given to new users and trainig.
The EU funds provide free access to the BENSC facilities and cover travel and subsistence expenses when carrying out accepted projects. Upon consultation with the head of User Operation-Neutrons, the stay at BENSC can be extended for preparation and data reduction.
Arrangements for travel support have to be cleared prior to undertaking the trip. Please contact the head of User Operation-Neutrons for further information
Accommodation on-site
Our 30-bedroom on-site guest house is at your disposal. The BENSC Guest Office shall be happy to assist with the arrangement of accommodation.
How to get to HZB ?
Radiation Protection
BENSC users must obtain appropriate personal dosimetry and a permission of the HZB Physical Health Department ("Abt. Strahlenschutz (SZ)") before using the BENSC experimental facilities. In connection with this working permit, the visiting scientists will be required to receive safety instructions and to watch a short video film describing the basic rules of safe operation in radiation controlled areas.
Time-table for Physical Health registration (in german)
Further information
For further or more detailed information please contact the Head of User Operation-Neutrons or look here to find the right person to ask your questions.
