Neutron scattering at Chalk River laboratories

Abstract

The end of the twentieth century was a tough time for Canada's national neutron beam program. National agencies increasingly narrowed their focus on primary missions and tended to cut other activities. In 1996, following a decade of shrinking budgets and increasing constraints, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) announced its intention to terminate several of its basic science programs, including the neutron scattering program, which was centered on the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor at Chalk River. With the leadership of Bill Buyers and support from other members of the neutron scattering staff, an agreement was reached between AECL and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to transfer the neutron program into the NRC's Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences. The three-year agreement preserved Canada's neutron scattering team until the newly named Neutron Program for Materials Research (NPMR) could be settled into the long-term framework of the NRC.