The coronavirus didn't slow CSNS's pace in building its user instruments. On Jan. 26, the Multi-Physics Instrument (MPI) received the neutron beam from the target station, marking the instrument's successful completion after two years of construction. MPI is CSNS's first user instrument and was built in cooperation with Dongguan University of Technology and the City University of Hong Kong. It is also the first neutron total scattering instrument in China.

CSNS's success comes against the backdrop of the pandemic, which created a difficult situation for CSNS scientists and engineers, especially when they couldn't proceed with production and installation of key components during the lockdown. Nevertheless, they managed to overcome these difficulties and successfully developed China's first 12-cubic-meter neutron scattering vacuum chamber. What's more, they also managed to install the neutron guide, even though they were unable to get any onsite help from the manufacturers due to the international lockdown.

MPI will mainly be used for research on materials with different ordered structures, focusing on structural analysis of long-range order and locally disordered materials, and long-range disorder and short-range ordered materials. It will serve both Mainland and Hong Kong users as an effective tool to probe materials, especially for research on materials science, condensed matter physics, life science and nano-materials.