China's first spallation neutron device makes headway

The construction of the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) makes continued progress as a crucial component finishes installation on Wednesday.

When completed in 2018, the CSNS, used to probe the microscopic structure of the microscopic world producing similar results as an x-ray, will be China's largest scientific device.

The installation of the negative hydrogen ion source, the first accelerator which provides a high quality and stable particle beam, marks a new phase for the whole project, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said in a statement.

As one of the first pieces of equipment, the negative hydrogen ion device will determine the performance and efficiency of the whole project, CAS said.

The whole device mainly consists of an H-linac and a proton rapid cycling synchrotron and is designed to accelerate proton beam pulses to strike a solid metal target to produce spallation neutrons.

The CSNS is the first of its kind in developing countries and projected to be operational in 2018, with a budget of 2.2 billion yuan (about 358 million U.S. dollars), according to the statement.

Jointly built by the CAS and the southern Guangdong Province, the CSNS is located in Dalang County of the city of Dongguan in Guangdong, about 125 km from Hong Kong.

The world's other three operating spallation neutron sources are in the United Kingdom, the United States and Japan.