Get ready for the experimental proposals
Once in six months, we have a proposals deadline. We are accepting the experiment proposal for neutron scattering experiments all over the world. I am in charge of a cold triple-axis spectrometer so I want to collect very interesting experimental proposals every round. Also, I have to make sure that the experiment is suitable for our instrument. There are many things to consider.
Firstly, I have to make sure we can cover the range in momentum and energy space we want to explore with the material. Secondly, I personally like large single-crystal very much because we can many things to explore. Also, if the single crystal is rare, that would be great. Thirdly, we would like to study neutron inelastic scattering or neutron scattering with polarized neutrons because these are our advantage so I can use my expertise there. There are only a handful of instruments can do what we can do. Finally, I would like to study high-quality science. That excites me. How do I know that the quality of science is high? I know when I saw it!
But sometimes, finding a good science before we actually do the experiment is hard. In that case, the easiest one is finding something new, such as new single crystals or single-crystal no one has done the neutron scattering experiment, especially on inelastic neutron scattering or polarized neutron scattering. Then, we can at least find something new. So it is worth publishing. When we have a new single crystal, I am very happy but the first thing I have to make sure of is what people already have studied for the material. If there is not, I need to know why people have not measured yet. So I do literature surveys on the material and see what we can do on that material.
This time, luckily, it seems we have too many single crystals, this is too much overjoying. Several professors offered me to study single crystals to investigate and I can pick up whatever the single crystals? What? I am very happy but I have to spend substantial time to do the literature survey and estimation which single crystals sample work for us. This is one of the happiest times for scientists. I think when we are making plans is the happiest time and when we are finishing the first draft of the manuscript is the hardest time.
So luckily, I have many ideas to finish off writing my proposals while I am helping others to write this round. I have to do the calculation and the data analysis as well. I am very happy but it is a bit overwhelmed. I am not sure I can finish all the writing before the deadline which is two weeks time.
I will do my best. For this blog, I can’t disclose my ideas at this point. However, I am thinking I could try to write all processes of one of the projects before I will write the manuscript. As you know usually scientists do not show them but this could be a test. By doing so maybe others can read my progress here online, so I have to push myself harder to finish my own paper. I think this is an idea to try.