Proposal Submission

APS User Experiments Ended April 17, 2023 and will resume after the APS Upgrade.

Learn more about the APS Upgrade

Proposal Deadline

The DCS utilizes the APS Beam Time Access System to receive all proposals for experimental time at the DCS (CAT and General User). Because of the unique challenges in creating a user schedule for the DCS, the schedule is created one Run ahead of the normal APS schedule. For example, the submission deadline for Run 1 of any calendar year for other APS sectors shall correspond to the deadline for Run 2 (of that same calendar year) submissions for DCS Users.

Explanation of Shift Allocation at DCS for Experimental Time

  • When submitting your proposal in the Beam Time System for DCS experimental time, you will be asked to specify the number of shifts required to complete your experiments.
  • One shift = 8 hours.
  • The DCS allocates user time on a per day basis (not by individual shifts), 3 shifts will be charged toward your proposal for one day of experiments. Two days of experiments = 6 shifts, and so on.

Proposal Submission

General Users at DCS


 All new General Users are required to perform training onsite before conducting their first experimental campaign at the DCS.

If you are interested in conducting General User Program experiments at DCS, please take the following steps:

  1. Review the DCS General User Guidelines
  2. Review and confirm that you can assemble complete targets according to the target preparation procedures for plate impact or laser shock experiments. All users are required to either bring their fully assembled targets with them or ship via Overnight delivery no less than 3 days prior to the start of their experimental series.
    — Plate Impact Target Assembly Procedures
    — Laser Shock Target Assembly Procedures
  3. Submit the required DCS New General User Questionnaire
  4. Complete the APS User Registration (required for proposal submission and conducting experiments at the APS).  If you have any questions, please contact the APS User Office at (630) 252-9090 or via email at apsuser@aps.anl.gov.  For step-by-step instructions and detailed information to become an APS User, please refer to the online APS New User Checklist.
  5. Submit a General User proposal (GUP) request.  Steps 1-4 must be completed before proposal submission.
  6. For more information about the APS General User Program, including proposal submission instructions, please visit the APS General User Proposal website.

CAT Members at DCS

Contact your organization’s DCS Point of Contact (POC) for information about applying for experimental time at DCS.  Do not submit a proposal in the APS Beam Time Access System.