 |
|
 |
Members in attendance were:
W.G. Clark, R. Goodrich, M.J. Naughton, H.Stormer and S. Tozer.
Members absent were:
D.Awshalom, J. Brooks, P. Chaikin, , N. Dalal, C. Perry, R. Vold and E.
Zuiderweg.
Item 1) The December 1996 Shutdown of Users' Operation
The Users' Committee vehemently objects to the December 1996 shutdown of
the resistive high-field users operation, resulting from an apparent lack
of funds to pay for the associated electrical power bill. The Users'
Committee is distressed that the required funds were not made available to
continue users operation throughout the year. The requested expenditure to
deflect such a considerable curtailment of user access (~$100K) is
insignificant on the scale of NHFML's $17M+ annual budget. Furthermore,
the shutdown totally suspends any return on the countries' multi-million
dollar investment in NHFML's high-field magnets; a scarce resource that is
booked out for months in advance. Operation of a users' facility ranks at
the top of NSF's mandates given to the NHFML. Under no circumstances should
users operation be compromised. Regarding future years, the committee
demands that sufficient funds be allocated to guarantee full support for
users' operations, according to its top priority status. Since the NHFML's
DC facilities are presently being exploited to only about 50% of their
maximum capacity (considering the possibility of 24h, 7 days/week
operation) this may require further reallocation of funds. NHMFL's total
running hours will depend on the results of the reviewing process that is
to be implemented. Under no circumstances should the expense for electrical
power compromise the prospect for new and exciting scientific discoveries.
Item 2) Regarding the expenditure of funds earmarked for equipment in support of user operations, we first commend the NHMFL for seeking advice from the various committees such as the Users'. With such equipment funds limited to the $3 million from the State of Florida, it is imperative that the users have input into what is being considered for purchase. To this end we would ask that that the Users' Committee be allowed to comment directly on those items being considered with regard to necessity and even specifications that would make the equipment as versatile as possible for the users.
Item 3) Condensed Matter physics Using NMR in Resistive Magnets
The activity of applying wide line NMR to condensed matter physics in
resistive magnets has been a very productive feature of the NHMFL program.
We recommend that this activity be nurtured and that steps be taken to
insure its continuity. In the short run, it is important to replace Alex
Kleinhammes, who recently has resigned, with a person who can provide the
same level of technical support for this activity. In the longer run, it
also is important to plan for a position to replace the leadership provided
by W. G. Moulton when he decides to retire.
Item 4) LANL floor plan
In the days immediately following this Users' Committee meeting, a flurry
of faxes, emails and phone calls among committee members and NHMFL staff
has led to a convergence of ideas regarding the layout of the new building
for the Pulsed Field Facility at Los Alamos. The latest recommendation is
reproduced below. The items of greatest import are:
- all magnets on a single mezzanine platform: the 100T, 60T, and all
short-pulse magnets.
- all user-related functions at the east end of the building, incl. offices
and sample prep.
- optics lab at lowest level, below 60T and one of the four short-pulse
cells.
Item 5) Proposal Review Committee
We recommend that the new proposal review committee be structured and
operated in a way that makes efficient use of time of its members and that
of investigators. One structure that we think would be effective is a
primary review panel of 3 or 4 scientists whose expertise would cover the
main technical areas of the NHMFL program. Each of these primary panel
members would preside over a sub-panel of 3 or 4 persons chosen on the
basis of their understanding of the different scientific or engineering
measurement techniques within the technical area. Proposals should be
graded at the sub-panel level on a scale of 0 - 10 with a mean value of 5.
Proposals that are supported under a peer reviewed grant from a Federal
agency should receive an additional 5 points over the evaluation by the
sub-committee. The sub-panel evaluations then would be combined into an
overall ranking by the primary review panel. The subcommittee evaluations
could be done by mail with discussion by conference call, and the primary
panel should meet in person or by video conference.
Other Item Notes:
… An NHMFL-User web site should be created where, among other
items, all Users' Committee reports should be displayed. The users should
know what the committee requests on their behalf.
… A motion was made to require members of the Users' Committee
who become employees of the NHMFL to resign their committee membership.
… We continue to wonder about the appropriateness of the
continuation of the NHFML's two most costly magnet development programs:
the 900MHz NMR magnet and the 45T hybrid magnet. Commercial 900MHz systems
are expected to be on the market one year prior to the anticipated
completion date of the NHMFL project. Given NHMFL's 40MW power supply, 45T
DC operation can most likely be achieved with exclusively resistive magnets
not requiring sensitive low temperature equipment.
…The Users' Committee is pleased that the 29-30 T "specialty" magnet
with field modulation and gradient inserts is now in the schedule for
design and construction at Tallahassee. We look forward to the
availability of this system by the end of 1997.
Return to NHMFL Home Page
Return to NHMFL Operations Home Page
 |
 |
 |
 |