During the second reactor cycle in 2020, the ThALES team and SCI/CS at ILL in Grenoble, France commissioned and tested a self-learning algorithm developed by the CAMERA team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). For the first time, an algorithm took control over the measurement process, without human intervention.

The ILL has now implemented the best neutron polariser in the world – it is more compact and cheaper than others because of its size and able to reach nearly 100% polarisation. It is set to be implemented at a number of facilities in the world to create better particle physics experiments to improve our understanding of the Universe.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), a technique that deposits highly targeted radiation into tumour cells, was first investigated as a cancer treatment back in the 1950s. But the field remains small, with only 1700 to 1800 patients treated to date worldwide. This may be about to change.