General Lab Information

ATF Users' Place

Prior to Arrival at BNL

  1. To participate in an approved experiment, a guest number assignment is required. To obtain one, complete the BNL Guest Information System form. Non-US citizens should expect at least 60 days for processing.
  2. After you are issued a BNL guest number, complete as much of the online ATF training as possible.
  3. Consult the Experimental Work Guide (PDF) for important information on planning experimental work and installations at ATF.

Upon Arriving at BNL

  1. Report to the RHIC & AGS Users' Center to receive BNL training, dosimetry badge and ID card.
  2. Complete ATF Awareness Training, given by the ATF Safety Officer. Additional specialized training may be necessary depending on your experiment (e.g. laser training). Please contact the ATF ESH Coordinator for additional information upon arrival.
  3. See the Visitor Information Guide for a variety of information to help you make the most of your experience at Brookhaven.

Starting an Approved Experiment

  1. In order to use your scheduled beam-time, an Experimental Safety Review (ESR) must be completed. Submit the experimental details and hazards of your experiment to the ATF ESH Coordinator, who will populate the ESR form. The ATF ESH Coordinator will submit the finalized ESR form to the C-A Department for formal review and approval. The PI or local representative may be asked to give a presentation as part of the review process. The ESR process may take two months or more, so please start as early as possible. Installation at ATF may not begin until the ESR is approved.
  2. Any newly approved experiment, or set-up modification for an existing experiment, must pass an internal ATF readiness review prior to requesting installation/beam time. The format of this review will depend upon experiment complexity. Contact the ATF User Coordinator to schedule this review.
  3. Prior to installation, the equipment must be approved for safety and vacuum compatibility by the ATF ESH Coordinator.

Read the Full Requirements

Beam Time Allocation

  1. Beam time is allocated according to the requirements of the experiment and the availability of beam time. To make a request, complete the shift request form and submit via email to the ATF User Coordinator. See beam time schedule.
  2. Two days per month will be reserved for unscheduled Rapid Access, granted by special request to the ATF director. Such a request shall justify the urgency for ATF access outside of regular scheduling and should come directly from the principle investigator.
  3. The ATF provides beam time to users during working hours (9.30am - 6pm, with a 30 min lunch break) Tuesday through Friday and for 4 hours on Monday afternoon (2 pm - 6 pm). Monday morning is maintenance day and experimental hall access day, for service or installation of experiments. If an experiment requires time beyond these regular operation times, a duty operator must be identified and a proper shift change take place and recorded in the logbook.
  4. The accounting of actual time allocated to each experiment will be based on the records of the ATF operations logbook. ATF operators will keep a log of all unscheduled maintenance that may take place during the scheduled ATF operation and that time will not be considered as allocated experimental beam time.

NB: The lead on-site experimenter is expected to send a brief summary of work and next-day plans, by email, to ATF staff at the end of each shift. Upon completion of the run, the PI or lead on-site experimenter is also required to fill out a run completion report that can be found here.