Seventy years of scientific impact using neutron beams at the Chalk River Laboratories

The 31 March 2018 closure of the National Research Universal reactor marked the end of over 70 years of materials research using neutron beams from major neutron sources at the Chalk River Laboratories in Chalk River, Ontario, Canada. This closure will have a major impact on the Canadian materials research community, including researchers in the physics, chemistry, and engineering of materials. After a brief review of the history of neutron beams at the Chalk River Laboratories, we present the results of a bibliometric study of the scientific output of the research with neutron beams. In this study, we compiled a complete bibliographic record of the research papers beginning with the first neutron scattering experiments at the National Research Experimental reactor in 1947, analyzed the citations from 1980 onward, and benchmarked the results against major neutron beam facilities in other countries and against other major research facilities in Canada. We also conducted a broader bibliometric analysis of the use of neutron scattering data among all Canadians, regardless of where the data were taken. The results provide a useful metric of the size of the Canadian neutron scattering community and places into context the importance of access to this research tool.