User operations resume at J-PARC

03/03/2014

User operations at the Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF) of J-PARC resumed last week following a 9-month shutdown ordered in response to the accident at the Hadron Experimental Facility (HD) of J-PARC in which radioactive material leaked into the experimental hall and the outside environment.

The decision to allow the restart of operations at the MLF was made following an independent inquiry into the HD accident carried out by a government-appointed panel of experts and a full review of safety practices at J-PARC that resulted in the implementation of new and strengthened safety protocols across the whole facility.

Permission to restart operations was given in February and the 2013B operations period is now underway. The MLF has returned strongly to the growth path with over 300 research proposals being submitted in the 2014A round and 173 of these receiving a beamtime allocation on the 18 neutron and 2 muon beamlines.

For more information about the MLF, its instruments and the user program, please see our website at http://www.j-parc.jp/MatLife/en/.