Report
NHMFL Users' Committee
29-30 May 1996

Members in attendance were: J. Brooks, P. Chaikin, W.G. Clark, N. Dalal, R. Goodrich, M.J. Naughton, S. Tozer, C. Perry and R. Vold.

Members absent were: D. Awshalom, H. Stormer and E. Zuiderweg.

Many items and situations were discussed at the meeting, not all of which will find lengthy reference in this report. Topics considered by the Committee to be of greatest importance to the user community are elaborated upon below.

1. Condensed matter physics NMR in resistive magnets

   
   Through the efforts of W. Moulton, P. Kuhns, and A. Kleinhammes, this activity has had a significant impact on several areas of research. It has advanced the technology of very high field NMR for those applications where high resolution is not needed and it has the potential to go much further in this respect. In comparison to the resources it has received, it has attracted a large level of participation from the user community. This group's activity warrants a regular budget that includes support for developing additional high field NMR instrumentation (spectrometers, probes) for use up to the highest fields available now and in the future. The addition of a superconducting staging magnet to complement the higher field resistive and hybrid magnets is reasonable. A high priority should be placed on obtaining the dedicated, pulsed NMR instrumentation needed for its projects. The NHMFL activity in this area is unique and it has the promise to remain so for the foreseeable future. Since this group has evolved and operated successfully as a part of User Services, the NHMFL Administration should consider attaching it administratively as a recognized part of User Services.

2. CIMAR

   
   The CIMAR Group is recognized for its effort to secure funding from Federal agencies. It is encouraged to focus its long term activities on unique, state-of-the-art facilities that will make it singularly attractive for external users, such as a 1.1 GHz high resolution NMR system. It is also encouraged to attract a greater overall participation by external users of the NMR facilities. Within the NMR facility, more special probes should be made available or help with their construction should be given. Better probes for 2H, 13C, 15N, and 31P should be available for users. The EMR facility should increase the fraction of its operating time that is available to outside users. The Committee is distressed that the completion date for the 900 MHz system has been pushed further back. There is a risk that by that time this system would no longer be unique. It is therefore recommended this project be accelerated or abandoned, in favor of a 1.1 Ghz or higher system.

3. Budget Allocations

   
   The Committee is concerned that the budget for staff and equipment to support the users is very small. We ask that the lab examine the budget allocations for these two categories and its commitment to the magnet development/manufacturing area, which has, out of necessity, been substantial over the last five years. While aware of the requirements for specific magnets which we would like to see built over the next five years, support staff and equipment are nonetheless essential if NHMFL is to be a truly outstanding user facility. To this end, the in-house research and the research of the external users should dictate which magnets are built and how the permanent equipment funds for users are spent.

4. Recommendations for Magnets

   
   The number one priority for the laboratory should be the completion of the 45 T hybrid project. Second should be the 100 T pulsed field facility at LANL. The User Committee strongly recommends that the management of the 100 T project be carried out by a committee composed of an equal number of members of both the Tallahassee and LANL magnet development programs, but that the design and construction of the system be handled exclusively by either Tallahassee or LANL. In this manner, the difficulties, delays, and unnecessary cost increases experienced by the hybrid project, due to separate management and construction of the outsert and insert, will not be repeated here. A magnet at Tallahassee that incorporates a large field gradient, high modulation field amplitudes and homogeneity improvement coils should be the next construction priority following the 45 T hybrid and the 100 T systems. This "specialty" magnet will find numerous users and applications unique to this laboratory. As an ongoing project the magnet development group should consider a horizontal split coil resistive magnet at Tallahassee and 70 to 80 T pulsed coils at LANL. As usage of the 50 and 60T magnets at Los Alamos will inevitably increase, an aggressive pursuit of higher fields in capacitor driven magnets should be pursued. The near term technology will certainly allow for 70 to 80T in such magnets, allowing for the inevitable tradeoff between bore size and maximum field. It is the responsibility, indeed, the mission of the laboratory to push such limits. We appreciate the need for ongoing materials research and development in this drive for the highest fields. The laboratory is thus encouraged to take the lead in such endeavors.

5. Other Items:

   
   
   • It appears that user support at the Los Alamos facility is increasing to an acceptable level in the near future. This will make a marked difference in the user-friendliness of pulsed field experiments, and significantly increase the scientific output.
   • A plan for extending operating hours at Tallahassee should be developed and implemented during the next year.
   • The PECO list for equipment should be scrutinized for appropriateness and feasibility.
   • A solid plan to make the NHMFL High B/T facility into a bona fide user facility needs to be quickly defined and put in place.
   • Are real safety issues being dealt with adequately ?