Learn About LANSCE

LANSCE is the major experimental science facility at LANL, underpinning the Laboratory as a world-class scientific institution.

Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) is a National User Facility with one of the nation’s most powerful linear accelerators (LINAC). LANSCE is unique because of the intensity and energy spectrum of the neutrons our LINAC produces. Our intense pulsed protons are used for proton radiography and to produce the wide energy spectrum of spallation neutrons needed to interrogate various materials. These investigations into materials help improve safety and security, advance nuclear technology, and have commercial applications.

To meet DOE and NNSA missions, our LINAC supports five state-of-the-art scientific centers that operate simultaneously: The Lujan Center, the Weapons Neutron Research Facility, Proton Radiography, the Isotope Production Facility, and the Ultracold Neutron Source.

What We Do

We support three of the NNSA’s core scientific capabilities: hydrodynamics, weapons nuclear science, and materials science.

Our research is essential to understanding nuclear weapons performance, reliability, and safety. We specialize in work that validates predictive models of weapons performance and evaluates new materials and material models for stockpile modernization.

Hydrodynamics with Proton Radiography (pRad)

pRad is a unique facility that has the capability to probe the dynamic response of materials to shocks, the detonation characteristics of high explosives under a range of environmental conditions, and to make high-speed movies of their dynamic systems.

Weapons Neutron Research

Our nuclear measurements are key to the success of the National Boost Initiative and for doing accurate nuclear forensics. Precision measurements of fission cross-sections and fission neutron spectra in actinides are crucial for predicting and determining yield, and are required to accurately quantify the margins and uncertainties in weapons performance. We provide the NNSA the most efficient, cost-effective, and timely capabilities to meet mission requirements.

Materials Science for National Security

Our capabilities are specifically tailored to the materials and security requirements of stockpile modernization and national security research. We are the only facility equipped to carry out classified materials research on stockpile materials and components using a LINAC.

Energy Security

The quest for energy security requires R&D on a new class of nuclear reactors, fuels, and materials. Our research is important to the DOE’s Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI), focusing on developing a new class of safer and more proliferation resistant fuels—fuels the nation needs to provide energy security and independence, and to impede nuclear terrorism.

1972

The Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF), as it was originally called, hosted about 1000 users per year to perform medium energy physics experiments. Since 1972, the 800-million-electron-volt (MeV) accelerator and its attendant facilities at Technical Area 53 (TA-53, often referred to as "the Mesa") at LANL have been a resource to a broad international community of scientific researchers.

1977

In 1977, a pulsed spallation neutron source was commissioned to supply moderated and unmoderated neutrons to time-of-flight experiments in the facility called the Weapons Neutron Research (WNR) Center. Neutron scattering experiments were started immediately and by 1983 the Department of Energy’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences was funding a formal user program. Beginning in 1985, with the completion of the Proton Storage Ring (PSR) that compresses proton pulses from 750 microseconds to a quarter of a microsecond, the Los Alamos Neutron Scattering Center, now known as the Lujan Center, was established while WNR was expanded to other spallation sources on the accelerator beam.

1995

In 1995 LAMPF was renamed the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) to reflect the broad base of neutron research being conducted on behalf of the weapons program and basic research; the name of the BES neutron scattering facility was simultaneously changed from LANSCE to the Manuel Lujan Jr. Neutron Scattering Center. In 1996, a Memorandum of Understanding was established between the Department of Energy's Offices of Energy Research (ER) and Defense Programs (DP) to define the modernization of the facility and its experimental areas in the context of the new Scientific Stockpile Modernization Program. In 2001, the MOU was rewritten to include three branches of the Department of Energy (DOE)—the National Nuclear Security Administration Defense Program (DP), the Office of Science (SC), and the Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)—and the Laboratory officially designated LANSCE as an approved user facility.

Recent History

Several key events have occurred during the last 20 years that have fostered the growth of the user programs at LANSCE. In 1968 through 1995, the DOE Office of Energy Research (ER) funded LAMPF as a user facility for medium energy physics and a user group was incorporated in 1972. Beginning approximately in 1977, Office of Basic Energy Sciences has provided funding of a new experimental area completed in 1990, including office space, the LANSCE became a Designated National User Facility. In 2011, this status was extended to WNR, pRad, and the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center.

George Srajer 

Acting LANSCE User Facility Director

George Srajer is acting director of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) and senior director for the Physical Sciences Directorate at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). LANSCE is a premier accelerator-based user facility for research underpinning Laboratory missions in national security, energy security, and fundamental science—with over 700 user visits annually. George has overall operational responsibility for LANSCE and oversees the basic, applied, and national security research performed at the 5 target stations that comprise LANSCE—including neutron scattering research at the Lujan Neutron Scattering Center, nuclear science and technology at the Weapons Neutron Research Facility, national security research at the Proton Radiography Facility, fundamental research at the Ultracold Neutron Facility, and the production of research, industrial, and medical radionuclides at the Isotope Production Facility.

George joined LANL in 2021 as deputy project director for the Advanced Sources and Detectors (ASD) project. During his tenure, he also served as technical director, LANL senior team lead, and, most recently, as acting project director. As technical director, George oversaw completion of the project’s final design, development of the Final Design Report, and the successful technological maturation work that were critical for Department of Energy (DOE) approval of critical decision‑2/3 (Approve Performance Baseline/Approve Start of Construction) in November 2022. 

Before joining ASD at LANL, George spent 30 years at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory in various leadership and management roles. George has extensive experience in managing user facilities. He was deputy associate laboratory director for photon sciences, responsible for the operation of the APS, the largest user facility in the U.S. George also led the APS Upgrade Project for two years as project director through the CD-2 review. In addition, he served as project director for the Dynamic Compression Sector (DCS) at the APS, successfully delivering DCS on budget, within scope, and ahead of schedule.

George holds a PhD in condensed matter physics from Brandeis University and completed a postdoctoral appointment at AT&T Bell Laboratories. He has authored 105 scholarly articles, 1 book chapter, and 4 patents. George has advised four PhD students, supervised nine postdoctoral appointees, and one high school student. He is the recipient of the University of Chicago Board of Governors Distinguished Performance Award and is a fellow of the American Physical Society, Division of Condensed Matter Physics.