Scientists in Europe face a dramatic reduction in neutrons beams for research within the next 5 to 10 years, even though the world's most intense neutron source is expected to turn on in Sweden by the end of the decade. So says a panel of experts, known as the Neutron Landscape Group (NLG), commissioned to assess the imminent closure of many of the continent's aging neutron reactors and recommend what can be done to avoid or at least reduce the shortfall. The neutron review comes as part of a wider "landscape analysis" carried out for the roadmap that seeks to identify significant gaps or overlap within European research infrastructure. More than 6000 scientists and engineers in Europe use neutrons to study the structure and behavior of materials, which range from magnets and superconductors to plastics and proteins. However, two-thirds of the continent's operating neutron sources were built in the 1960s and 70s, and most of those are due to close in the next decade. http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/03/europe-course-neutron-drought
