Guidance
The following gives guidance for the services and support provided by the CLF for campaigns carried out on external facilities during the period that Vulcan is offline. We intend to issue a call for support every 4 months to cover some or all of:
- Targetry
- Diagnostics loan
- Travel and subsistence costs
Wherever possible you should aim to submit your application for targetry support at least 6 months prior to your scheduled experiment date. Support for diagnostics (if available) should be at least 4 months ahead. T&S can possibly be dealt with on shorter timescales (note: a call is typically open for 3 weeks followed by review period that is typically 3 weeks long before a decision is made on submitted requests). Please note, currently engineering support and related costs will not be covered by the CLF.
It is the intention that support for experiments related to Vulcan science will be prioritised, however this does not preclude support in other areas of the program. Each request will be internally assessed with the intention that different institutes are given equal support.
In the case of targetry, this will require an additional assessment for technical feasibility and in the case of diagnostic loan please contact the ESG rep to ensure that the diagnostic is available. It is therefore
essential that you discuss your needs with facility representatives prior to submitting your proposal for support - contacts at the bottom of this page.
The provision of the CLF tape drive is not automatically provided as the system is licenced for supply externally through Scitech Precision Limited. It is expected that this is arranged through the host institution. Tape targets and materials can be requested through the V20-20 access provision however complex targets can have a long lead-time and can be expensive, so it is critical that you discuss with both TF, ESG and the host institution, before submission of your proposal to the panel. Capabilities of the CLF Target Fabrication facility can be found here.
It should be noted that the provision of targetry and diagnostics may require CLF staff to liaise directly with facility staff where your experiment is to take place. Presence at, and continued involvement in the experimental planning processes should be expected, the level of which will be linked to the complexity of the CLF’s provision for the experiment.
The CLF will also continue to support the community through our training weeks and the TAO course and we continue to support student projects and placements to the best of our ability. We are also investigating additional training opportunities through partnering with some of our UK institutions and more information on these will be distributed in the near future.
It should be noted that target manufacture is still commercially available through
Scitech Precision Ltd. and the calls for support will have no impact on those commercial routes.
Funding level
Funding levels are equivalent to that of existing Vulcan experiments (https://www.clf.stfc.ac.uk/Pages/Reimbursement-of-expenses.aspx) and the CLF could support multiple experiments in parallel, though targetry support will be highly dependent upon the level and complexity requested.
Instructions for submitting proposals
Experiment support requests should be submitted electronically at:
https://proposal.facilities.rl.ac.uk
If you are not an exisiting STFC user then you will need to
create a facility user account, using your e-mail address as the Login Identifier, to access the proposal submission system. It is important that you provide full and accurate address details to facilitate future communications with yourself and your co-investigators. If you have already registered then please check and update your information as necessary.
On the proposal dashboard you enter the proposal system by clicking "Apply" on the Vulcan Shutdown Support access tile. This will direct you to the proposal system and you can create your proposal by selecting "Vulcan Shutdown Support". Follow the on-line instructions, uploading your proposal to the external facility (if submitted) or a 1 page summary. Further guidance on using the system can be found
here.
For requests asking for targetry and/or diagnostic support we require the completion of the appropriate form for each:
Targetry Technical Request Form
Capabilities of the CLF Target Fabrication facility can be found here.
Diagnostic Loan Pool Request Form
This is to provide the facility with sufficient detail to assess the requirements and balance requests. These should be submitted to the proposal website alongside your science case.
Eligibility criteria
To request CLF support you must be a permanent member of staff or a Post-doctoral researcher at a UK academic institution and a Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-Investigator (Co-I) on the proposed experiment. The request for support must always come from the UK participant.
Only team members based at a UK academic institution are eligible for travel and subsistence support. Where the request for support is across a UK collaboration, only one request should be submitted on behalf of the experiment.
Contacts
Targetry
Diagnostics
For further information
Technical submission system queries / issues
General submission queries
High Power Lasers Access Panel Coordinator
