Glossary

Affiliation: A guest or user's primary institution or organization.

Appointment: A status with the laboratory, paid or unpaid, given to guests of Brookhaven National Laboratory (non-employees) who will be on site or who will make repeat visits to the laboratory. These individuals maintain a primary affiliation with other institutions and come to the laboratory to utilize the facility. They may or may not receive remuneration. This is based on the department issuing the appointment and the nature of their work. After a certain period of time the appointment will terminate. This time period depends on the type of appointment and can be renewed.

Assignment: The presence of a foreign national at a DOE facility for more than 30 calendar days. Assignments are normally for the purpose of participating in the work of the facility, gaining experience, or contributing to projects. Also see visit.

Beamline: An individual experimental station extending from a beam port. A single beam port may be associated with one or more beamlines.

Beamline Status: Terminology used to indicate the use, development, status and/or availability of a beamline.

A (Available): Beamline without current affiliation; available for sponsorship by one or more institutions.

C (Construction): Beamline is under assembly or assembled, but being operated for the sole purpose of detecting flaws in the configuration.

D (Diagnostic & Instrumentation): Beamline designed with instrumentation used to assess the status of the electron beam orbit, photon intensity, etc. Not actively used in research though may be used by NSLS staff to develop new techniques and applications for synchrotron radiation.

O (Operational): Beamline is actively being used in research affiliated with one or more institutions.

R (Research & Development): Beamline is used solely for NSLS research and development purposes.

U (Unused Port): An existing port with or without an end station but not currently functional as a beamline.

Beam Port:  An aperture in the storage ring where synchrotron light is channeled to one or more beamlines. 

Beamline Operations and Safety Awareness (BLOSA):  A checklist-based program providing enhanced awareness of beamline hazards, good operations practice, orientation in communications and the resources available to the user. A user must receive BLOSA orientation for each beamline on which he/she plans to work. The orientation is valid for up to two years, but significant changes in beamline configuration may require re-orientation. All BLOSA information is entered into the NSLS Database as part of the user's training record. 

BNL Contact:The Brookhaven National Laboratory employee assigned to supervise the work of a contractor or guest. 

Contractor: A person or company hired to perform work or a service for BNL (Brookhaven National Laboratory). 

Controlled Area (Radiologically):An area to which access is managed by or for the Department of Energy to protect individuals from exposure to radiation and/or radioactive materials. 

Dual Citizenship: An individual who is a legal citizen of two or more countries at the same time.

Experimental Station: see Beamline. 

Foreign National: A foreign national is any person who is not a U. S. citizen, and includes permanent resident aliens. Foreign nationals sponsored for visits or assignments may include, among others:

Officials or other persons employed by foreign governments or other foreign institutions, which may or may not be involved in cooperation under international agreements;

Foreign students at U. S. institutions;

Employees of DOE or other U. S. Government agencies or their contractors, of universities, of companies (professional or service staff), or of other institutions; and

Prospective employees of DOE or DOE contractors. 

Form BNL-473 (formerly IA-473): This form was formerly used by BNL by foreign nationals to request approval to visit the laboratory. It has been replaced by the laboratory's Guest Information System, through which such requests are made.

General User: A person requesting and/or using of the beam time allotted by the NSLS General User Program. 

General User Oversight Committee (GUOC): A committee consisting of non-BNL scientific users of the NSLS who resolve disputes between general users, PRTs and NSLS staff related to scheduling, beam time and proposals. 

General User Program: A system of administering the beam time that is not allocated to the Participating Research Team (PRT) and Insertion Device Team (IDT) for their exclusive use. Generally, the PRT or IDT will have access to 75% of the operational beam time. The remaining 25% is made available to the General User Program. The work is usually non-proprietary, although the program is also open to proprietary users. Research proposals are reviewed, and if approved, assigned and scheduled beam time. 

Guest Appointment:  see Appointment. 

Guest Number: A unique alpha-numeric code assigned for identification and security purposes, assigned to each person holding an appointment with the laboratory. It is used in the same way that a life number is used for laboratory employees. If the appointment expires and the person wishes to renew it, their new identification (ID) badge will be reissued with the original guest number.   

Guest Title: A laboratory designation for persons holding guest appointments, based on educational level and field of work. Some examples are:Guest Physicist, Guest Scientist, Guest Research Associate. 

Identification (ID) Badge: A laminated badge with the guest number and photograph of the individual issued for those with appointments.  The badge is normally initiated by the laboratory department issuing the appointment. For most users, NSLS User Administration issues the appointment. Once the person has received NSLS Safety Training, NSLS User Administration arranges for the badge to be encoded for access to the NSLS building and experimental floor. 

Immigrant Aliens are foreign nationals authorized by the Immigration and Naturalization Service to reside and work in the U. S. for an indefinite period. They are eligible to become U. S. citizens after a period of time. Immigrant aliens may be referred to as Permanent Resident Aliens (PRAs). 

Indices Check: A request is made to the appropriate U. S. Government agencies to determine whether there is existing information for a particular foreign national. This is a Department of Energy (DOE) requirement for obtaining a security clearance for foreign nationals from sensitive countries. 

Insertion Device: Powerful magnets called "wigglers" or "undulators" placed on straight sections of the ring in order to increase the intensity and range of the synchrotron light. The beamline receiving the high intensity radiation is called an insertion device beamline and is managed by the Insertion Device Team (IDT). 

Insertion Device Team (IDT):  Team members cooperate in establishing scientific research programs for a specific insertion device beamline. Membership is comprised of individuals whose institutions are affiliated with the beamline, and is determined by the governing body of the beamline. The IDT is allocated up to 75% of the operational time on their beamline which they can divide among themselves and share with their collaborators. The remaining percentage of unallocated beam time is available for the General User Program. 

Institution: The private, governmental, or academic organization or facility a user is working for or is sponsored by. 

Local Contact: The beamline staff member responsible for overseeing the daily maintenance and/or operation of the beamline. 

Light Source (LS): The abbreviation used for Light Source and for National Synchrotron Light Source. 

Membership: An administrative classification used to place each User into one of the following categories: General User or Participating Team (PRT) member.  

NSLS: The abbreviation or acronym for National Synchrotron Light Source. 

NSLS Newsletter: A newsletter published by NSLS User Administration three times each year, containing scientific articles of importance, VUV and X-Ray ring schedules, facility and safety reports, and calls for user obligations. 

NSLS Policy/Procedures Manual: An on-line source of NSLS Policies and Procedures containing the requirements under which PRTs and General Users are obligated. 

NSLS Safety Training: Minimum training each user must receive in order to gain access to the NSLS experimental floor.  Training is comprised of two web-based modules (NSLS safety module and NSLS radiological module) and is available on or off site through the internet. The training is valid for two years and entitles the user to a temporary radiation badge and to have this ID badge encoded for access to the building and experimental floor.  

Non-Sensitive Countries: Those not listed on the sensitive country list. 

Operations Coordinators: NSLS personnel designated to inspect and unlock beamlines, post Safety Approval Forms, and track safety on the experimental floor. Operations Coordinators are the users' first contact for questions and problems and are on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Participating Research Team (PRT): Team members working together to design, fund, fabricate, operate, and utilize a specific beamline. Membership is comprised of individuals whose institutions are affiliated with the beamline, and is determined by the governing body of the beamline. The PRT is allocated up to 75% of the operational time on their beamline. They can divide this time among themselves and/or share it with their collaborators. The remaining percentage (25%) of unallocated beam time is made available for the General User Program. See General User and General User Program. 

Patent Agreement: A formal contract that stipulates the patent rights of a person or institution performing non-proprietary work at NSLS. The first individual from an institution requesting access to the NSLS signs an Agreement. Each person from that institution registering thereafter, signs a supplemental agreement. This agreement is automatically printed on the Orientation Certificate and includes the institution name and patent date as indicated by the NSLS Database. 

Patent Date: The date the original patent agreement or proprietary agreement was signed.  

Proposal Study Panel (PSP):  The Proposal Study Panel studies each general user proposal and rates it according to scientific merit, technical achievability, and appropriateness for the beamline/facility. The PSP is divided into sub-panels by research specialty: X-Ray scattering, X-Ray spectroscopy, X-Ray biology, Imaging/other, and VUV science. 

Proprietary Agreement:  A formal contract between Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA) and the institution conducting proprietary research. The contract stipulates the patent rights of a proprietary user at the NSLS. A single proprietary agreement applies to all persons from that institution who are performing proprietary work for that institution and is handled through the laboratory patent office. 

Proprietary Research: Research performed at the NSLS that will not be published in open literature. 

Proprietary User: A person or institution using the NSLS facility for the purpose of conducting proprietary research. This type research will not be published in open literature. The user is charged the full cost recovery rate for each full or partial shift used for the research. 

Radiation Badge: A plastic badge that is worn on the body (preferably on the chest area, with the blue or yellow colored bar facing out). The radiation badge measures a person's occupational exposure to radiation.  It may also be called personal dosimetry or a TLD (thermo-luminescent dosimeter). The badge monitors occupational exposure to radiation. There are two types of radiation badges:

Permanent:  badges that are assigned to and automatically issued on a monthly basis to long-term users and BNL staff who require access to radiologically-controlled areas. 

Temporary: badges issued manually on an "as needed" basis for up to one month to short-term users who require access to radiologically-controlled areas. 

Radiation Badge Exchange: The laboratory collects and processes radiation badges once a month. Individuals with permanent badges are collected but automatically issued a replacement badge at that time. Temporary badges are not automatically replaced. The user must request another badge if one is necessary. 

Safety Approval Form (SAF): These forms are used to document all experiments at the NSLS. For routine experiments, Users must submit a form at least one week in advance of their experiment start date. The forms contain fields for the User to report the materials and equipment involved in each experiment and to describe the procedures and potential hazards associated with those materials and equipment. The forms are reviewed by the NSLS Safety Staff as part of our program for analysis and control of risks presented by experiments at the facility. NOTE: An approved SAF must be  posted at the beam line by NSLS Operations for an experiment to proceed. 

Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC): A committee comprised of scientists representing various fields of synchrotron radiation research. The SAC meets twice a year to review the status and performance of the NSLS beamlines. It evaluates the equipment upgrades being planned or done by the PRTs and IDTs as well as the scientific programs and publications originating from each beamline. The committee makes recommendations to NSLS Management concerning NSLS policy, beamline tenure, facility upgrades, overall balance of research programs, and actions to improve the quality and/or quantity of work produced by specific beamlines. 

Sensitive Country: A listing of Department of Energy (DOE) designated countries considered sensitive for national security, non-proliferation, anti-terrorism, or economic security reasons. Due to the constant change in world events, countries may be added or removed at any time. For a list of sensitive countries, see Sensitive Country List in SBMS

Specific International Agreement: An agreement between the United States or an entity thereof, and a foreign country or an entity thereof, or an international organization or an entity thereof, to cooperate in an endeavor of common interest. Included are agreements of specific types, such as umbrella agreements, project agreements, implementing agreements, cooperative agreements, protocols, memoranda of understanding, and contracts providing for cooperative endeavors.  Note:  In most instances, NSLS users are NOT working under an international agreement.   

Specific Sensitive Countries:  Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria. 

Special Interest Group (SPIG):   When registering in the database, new users are invited to join one or more special interest groups.  At the annual Users' Meeting each group elects a representative who becomes a member of the Users' Executive Committee (UEC).  SPIGs sponsor meetings and workshops about their areas of interest. Some of the areas are: topography, atomic and molecular science, XAFS, nuclear physics, lithography/ microscopy/ tomography /X-ray fluorescence, X-ray scattering and crystallography, UV photoemission and surface science, energy dispersive diffraction, time resolved spectroscopy, students and post-doctorates. 

Spokesperson, Beamline:  The individual from each beamline who acts as the contact person between Beamline Management and NSLS Administration.  The Spokesperson is listed in various documents regarding NSLS beamlines so that potential researchers can contact them for information and submit request (s) to use the beamline.  

Spokesperson, Proposal:  The person designated on a research proposal  (also known as the Principal Investigator) as a contact person between the team conducting the research and the NSLS Administration.  The Proposal Spokesperson is responsible for ensuring that the required paperwork is in place before commencing work and for providing the NSLS with the resulting abstracts, publications, and in the case of proprietary research, a report of beam time usage. 

Stateless Persons: Individuals without nationality.  The absence of a nationality may be the result of:  the action (s) of a state in withdrawing the protection of nationality; the individual's own action in renouncing the previously held nationality; or an individual who has never held nationality due to circumstances of birth. 

Status of User:  A NSLS Database field used to classify NSLS User Administration appointments for reporting purposes:   

 (A) Active:  An appointment which has not been terminated. 

(T) Terminated : An appointment which has terminated.  

Appointments that are not NSLS User Administration appointments:

(C) Consultant: A user whose appointment is for a term up to one year. The Department retaining the services of the consultant may renew the term. The user is paid a daily fee for intermittent services but limited to sixty (60) days of service per year. Consultants are classified as paid NSLS appointments, and therefore excluded from the NSLS Database. 

(E) Employee: A user who is a laboratory employee. 

(L) Lab Guest: A user whose appointment was issued by another laboratory department. 

(M) Mailing List:  A non-user with no appointment who wishes to receive NSLS mailings such as newsletters.  

Synchrotron:  A synchrotron is a machine that guides charged particles, such as electrons, into an orbit. At the NSLS, an electron gun sends electrons whirling around inside a hollow donut-shaped tube called an "electron storage ring. " Inside the storage ring is a vacuum. Almost all the air and moisture has been pumped out so that the electrons will not bump into molecules and lose energy. The NSLS has two storage rings: an X-Ray Ring and a VUV (Vacuum Ultra-Violet) Ring. As the electrons round each bend in the ring, they are guided by powerful magnets and give off energy in the form of light. This is called "synchrotron light. "

Tenure Review Board:  Composed of non-users who are experts in the field. About every three years the board evaluates the Participating Research Team(s) (PRT) and Insertion Device Team(s) (IDT) progress and makes recommendations. 

User:  Any person working on a scientific program associated with a beamline at the NSLS. This includes, but is not limited to: Participating Research Team (PRT) members; Insertion Device Team (IDT) members; collaborators; general users; technicians; programmers; BNL laboratory employees and NSLS researchers.  This term is further defined as: 

Long-term:  A stay that exceeds six months, or frequent visits occurring in at least six consecutive months. Since long-term users are performing research for extended periods of time, they are required to obtain Safety Training equivalent to that of BNL laboratory employees.  Upon successful completion of the training, they will qualify for a permanent radiation badge. 

Short-term:  A stay of less than three months, or sporadic visits  that do not occur within three consecutive months. Short-term users receive required departmental NSLS Safety Training. Once training is complete, they receive a temporary radiation badge each month during the visit. 

Users' Executive Committee (UEC):   A committee composed of users  representing the interests of the User community.  The UEC is the link between the User community and the NSLS Administration. The UEC includes officers, members, and Special Interest Group representatives.  Committee members are elected to a one-year term during the annual Users' Meeting. 

Visitor:  A person not involved in experimental programs at the NSLS, will be on-site for less than thirty (30) days, and will not be returning to the NSLS within one year.  Visitors are not registered in the NSLS Database unless they are foreign nationals from a sensitive country. 

Visit: Presence of a foreign national at a Department of Energy (DOE) facility for thirty (30) calendar days or less.  Visits are normally for the purpose of technical discussions, orientation, observation of projects or equipment, training, contract service work, or discussion of collaboration on topics of mutual interest without participation in the work of the facility, or for courtesy purposes. The term "visit" includes officially-sponsored attendance at a DOE event off-site from a DOE facility, but does not include on or off-site events and activities open to the general public. Off-site events that do not include participation by DOE or DOE contractor personnel that work in areas of national security and nonproliferation, or have knowledge in subjects of interest to foreign nationals that may attempt to compromise national security may be exempted from the provisions of this notice by the approving official from the host organization. Visits lasting more than 30 calendar days over a twelve month period are defined as 'assignments.'