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Information for proposal application

MLF invites research proposals using neutron/muon beams

MLF invites widely research proposals using neutron/muon instruments. Applied proposals will undergo a strict review process and beam time will be allocated to the approved proposals.

Points of proposal application

For conducting experiment at MLF, you need to submit application and pass the review(Click here for proposal review process). Please note the following points about writing the application.

  • Submitted applications (except proprietary-use proposals) will be assessed based on the scientific significance and other evaluation criteria.
    • Each of the applied proposals is reviewed by the review panel of its research field; however, please write your research plan in a manner that can be understood by reviewers from different fields.
  • When you fill in each item of the research plan, please clearly mention the background of the proposed experiment, specific contents of the experiment, placement of the proposed experiment in relation to the final goal, etc.
    • Unless concreteness of the experiment is provided, your proposal will not be evaluated highly, even if it has an excellent goal.
  • In the case of a research conducted continually, please specifically describe the concrete points of difference compared to difference from the previous research.
    • If the difference is not clear, the proposal may be poorly evaluated as a proposal having already been approved.
  • For operating as an international user facility, international experts are included in the proposal reviewers at J-PARC, and proposal application is required to be made in English, except for P7 Industrial Application and P9 New User Promotion, which accept applications in Japanese, too.

Proposal types

Proposals called for regularly

Type When to
apply
Overview Proprietary/ Non- Proprietary use Fee Submission of the Experiment Reports
Short-term Proposal Twice a year (April and October) Effective for one beamtime period (half a year). There are Proprietary use and Non-Proprietary use.
【Available beamline】All neutron and muon beamlines
Proprietary use and Non-Proprietary use are available Not charged for non-proprietary use/ charged for proprietary use Required (Non-Proprietary use)/Not Required (Proprietary use)
One-year Proposal Twice a year (April and October) Effective for two beamtime periods (one year). Proposals that involve the development of experimental techniques may be submitted as one-year proposals.
【Available beamline】BL11
Non-Proprietary use Not charged Required
New User Promotion(NUP) Twice a year (April and October) Effective for one beamtime period (half a year). For first time users of MLF neutron beamlines. Supported from application to data analysis of the experiment. Please note that prior application to CROSS (at any time) is required prior to the application period listed on the left.
【Available beamline】BL01, BL02, BL11, BL15, BL17, BL18 and BL22
Non-Proprietary use Not charged Required
Long-term Proposal Once a year (March) Effective for 6 beamtime periods (3 years). For proposals with clear long-term R&D strategies and research structure, enabling upgrading measurement technic at MLF and human resource development in neutron.
【Available beamline】Neutron beamlines excluding BL03, BL20 and BL23
Non-Proprietary use Not charged Required once a year
P-type Proposal Twice a year (April and October) Preliminary experiment for future application of proposal(including preliminary experiments by novice users)
【Available beamline】Muon beamlines
Non-Proprietary use Not charged Not Required

Proposals accepted at anytime

Type Overview Proprietary/ Non-Proprietary use Fee Submission of the Experiment Reports
Fast Track Proposal Beamline group members conduct experiment on behalf of the PI with samples sent in advance. Visit Meet@MLF for available instruments, experiment conditions, etc.
【Available beamline】BL01, BL08, BL11, BL17, BL18, BL21 and BL22
Note: Currenty, BL16 is not availabe.
Non-Proprietary use Not charged Required
Urgent access (Non-Proprietary use) For proposals with academic/ social high importance and needing urgent implement. The proposal can be applied for from April 1 to May 31 and from October 1 to March 31 of the following year.
【Available beamline】All neutron and muon beamlines
Non-Proprietary use Not charged Required
Urgent access (Proprietary use) For proposals with academic/ social high importance and needing urgent implement. Usage fees are charged for proprietary use proposals. The proposal can be applied for from April 1 to May 31 and from October 1 to March 31 of the following year.
【Available beamline】All neutron and muon beamlines
Proprietary use Charged Not Required

P-type Proposal

Acceptance of proposals is announced twice a year with proposal reviews following each announcement. Approved proposals are valid for one operations period. This is intended to encourage users who wish to conduct test experiments in preparation for general use and Project use (S-type use) proposal and/or have no experience in muon use.

The following terms are set for P-type proposals for muon use:

No more than two days of beamtime is allocated to each proposal. Only one proposal is approved per principal investigator per proposal review period. No more than three proposals are accepted for each muon instrument.

Ibaraki Prefecture Industrial Use Proposal

To apply for Ibaraki Neutron Beamlines for industrial use, please apply for the proposal call conducted by the Ibaraki Prefecture.

【Contact】IQBRC Ibaraki Prefecture Office

    Email: info-neutronprefibaraki.lg.jp

Difference between Non-proprietary use and Proprietary use

Non-proprietary use proposals are exempted from paying the charge for use. On the other hand, Proprietary use proposals can keep the results obtained from the experiment private by paying the charge for use according to the hours used. The difference between Non-proprietary use and Proprietary use is as following.

Non-proprietary use proposals : Charge for use is waived by publishing the results.

  • An Experimental Report is required to be submitted within 60 days after the end of the operations period. The report will be published on the J-PARC Web site.
  • Please publish the results of the experiment within 3 years after the completion of the experiment as well as registering them in J-PARC Publication Database.
  • Submission of the Experiment Reports of the past experiments and the registration of the results will be considered in the future proposal review.

Proprietary use proposals : The results obtained from the experiment can be kept private by paying the charge.

  • While the proposals will undergo the safety review and technical review which J-PARC conducts to check the technical feasibility and appropriateness of the requested beamtime, they are not subject to the assessment by the proposal review committees.
  • The charge for use is calculated from the viewpoint of collecting the full cost for the beam generation.
    • The charge for use changes depending on the proposal round. For the specific figure, please refer to the guidelines for the proposal application.
    • The charge for use is calculated by 30 minutes.

Disclosure of information : The following information on the approved and completed experiment (Non-proprietary use and Proprietary use) will be published on the website.

  • After the proposal was approved: Proposal number, PI’s name, Affiliation, Nationality of the PI’s affiliation, Beamline number, Allocated beamtime.
  • After the experiment was implemented: Title of Proposal, Allocated beamtime.

Categories of Beamtime

The use of beamtime for the industrial application of Ibaraki Prefecture is especially categorized as “Third party exclusive use”. Also, there is the category of beamtime for “Project and Instrument use” in which JAEA/KEK/ the Registered Institution for Facility Use Promotion conducts their mission-oriented programs or joint research programs with universities or other organizations. (Click here for the details)

Contact information

  • J-PARC Center Users’ Office
    • For Non-Proprietary Use: j_proposalmlj-parc.jp
    • For Proprietary Use: j_proposal_pmlj-parc.jp
    • For General Questions: jimurisokumlj-parc.jp

Past Guidelines for Proposal Application