Status of the advanced neutron source

Research reactors in the United States are becoming more and more outdated, at a time when neutron scattering is being recognized as an increasingly important technique in areas vital to the US scientific and technological future. The last US research reactor was constructed over 25 years ago, whereas new facilities have been built or are under construction in Japan, Russia and, especially, Western Europe, which now has a commanding lead in this important field. Concern over this situation in the early 1980's by a number of organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences, led to a recommendation that design work start urgently on an advanced US neutron research facility. This recommendation is realized in the Advanced Neutron Source Project. The centerpiece of the Advanced Neutron Source will be a new research reactor of unprecedented flux (>7.5 x 10(exp 19) m(exp -2) s(exp -1), equipped with a wide variety of state-of-the-art spectrometers and diffractometers on hot, thermal, and cold neutron beams. Very cold and ultracold neutron beams will also be provided for specialized experiments. This paper will discuss the current status of the design and the plans for scattering instrumentation.