Committee to Assess the Current Status and Future Direction of High Magnetic Field Science in the United States Summary The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) was created by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 1990. While the original science drivers for the NHMFL principally rested in physics and materials science, over the course of the past 20 years the state-of-the-art instrumentation available through the NHMFL has become increasingly used by disciplines beyond condensed matter physics and materials science, including biology, chemistry, and geology. The NHMFL also has found applications beyond basic science, serving many applied fields from medicine to the petroleum industry. This study will assess the status and trends in high magnetic field research and provide guidance for the future of both magnetic-field research and technology development, including funding responsibilities and the evolving roles of a centralized magnet lab and university-based facilities. Instrumentation has evolved and new possibilities have opened up, leading to the need for an assessment of future opportunities for these facilities. Project Information Statement of Task The committee will assess the needs of the U.S. research community for high magnetic fields. The committee will determine the status and identify trends in the use of high magnetic fields throughout science and technology. - What are the current science drivers and which scientific opportunities and challenges can be anticipated over the next ten years?
- What is the current state of high-field magnet science, engineering, and technology in the United States, and are there any conspicuous needs to be addressed?
- What are the principal existing and planned high magnetic field facilities outside of the United States, what roles have U.S. high field magnet development efforts played in developing those facilities, and what potentials exist for further international collaboration in this area?
Based on this assessment, the committee will provide guidance for the future of both magnetic-field research and technology development in the United States. It will address trends in the disciplinary makeup of the user base and consider how the infrastructure should be optimized to meet the needs of the next decades. - On what areas of magnetic field research and development should the United States focus its efforts over the next decade?
- What new capabilities should be provided in the United States (taking into account worldwide capabilities and any potential for international collaborations or cooperative arrangements)?
- What is the best model for the infrastructure supporting high magnetic field science in the United States? Among the issues the committee might consider addressing are-
(i) To what extent should facilities be centralized?
(ii) Would the program benefit from distributing a portion of the high magnetic field capability to other locations?
(iii) How should the issue of providing magnetic fields to light source and neutron facilities be handled? Conversely, what experimental capabilities should be co-located at high field labs?
(iv) For facilities that remain centralized, should the programs remain divided among the current three locations or be combined?
(v) What are the trends in providing support for outside users versus supporting in-house independent research programs and do those trends optimally meet the needs of the user base? - What is the best infrastructure model for supporting high magnetic field technology development and U.S. industrial competitiveness?
- How can the operational and financial stewardship of the research and facilities be optimized to address changes in the disciplinary spectrum and user needs?
In responding to these questions, the committee may make recommendations on organizational structure, program balance, and funding. Committee Members and NRC Staff Bertrand I. Halperin, Chair, Harvard University
Gabriel Aeppli, University College of London
Yoichi Ando, Osaka University
Meigan Aronson, Stony Brook University
Dimitri Basov, University of California at San Diego
Thomas F. Budinger, University of California, Berkeley
Robert Dimeo, National Institute of Standards and Technology
John C. Gore, Vanderbilt University
Frank Hunte, North Carolina State University
Chung Ning (Jeanie) Lau, University of California, Riverside
Jan Cornelis Maan, Radboud University Nijmegen
Ann McDermott, Columbia University
Joseph Minervini, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Nai Phuan Ong, Princeton University
Arthur P. Ramirez, University of California, Santa Cruz
Zlatko B. Tesanovic, Johns Hopkins University
Robert Tycko, National Institutes of Health NRC Staff Donald C. Shapero, Director
James Lancaster, Associate Director
Caryn Knutsen, Associate Program Officer
Teri G. Thorowgood, Administrative Coordinator Upcoming Events Meeting 2
May 17-18, 2012
Keck Center of the National Academies
Washington, DC
Agenda and meeting info will be made availbale on the NAS Current Projects System Meeting 3
July 19-20, 2012
Irvine, CA Past Events Meeting 1
March 12-13, 2012
Keck Center of the National Academies
Washington, DC
Agenda and meeting info is availbale on the NAS Current Projects System
Meeting Presentations Community Input Please send comments or suggestions to the committee via e-mail at NRCMagSci2012@nas.edu. Input will be posted on the public access file, which is available through the NAS Public Access Records Office. Sponsor The project is pleased to acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. The National Academies' Current Projects System The National Academies' Current Projects System maintains the public record of committees' activities compliant to Section 15 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Visit the Committee to Assess the Current Status and Future Direction of High Magnetic Field Science in the United States Current Projects page for more information. |
