See below for the information of applying research program using Photon Factory.
Call for Proposals using the Photon Factory
If your proposal is approved, the applicant (spokesperson) will receive a "Request for Beamtime" form from the person in charge of the station at least two months before the beam time starts. Please be sure to return it by the deadline, otherwise the beam time will not be allocated. The allocation of beam time will be decided by the Beamtime Allocation Committee and the spokesperson will be notified no less than six weeks before the beam time.
Proposals with higher scores have the higher priority for allocating beam time. Thus those with lower scores may not get enough beam time. In such cases you can re-apply the revised proposal so as to get higher score. But you have to invalidate one of them once the new application is approved.
Submission of forms, reservation of the dormitory etc. should be done using the User Support System. All members of the experimental team should have a user account on the system.
If you don't have an account for the system, click "Registration" button and fill out and submit "User Registration" form. When it is accepted, a temporary password will be sent to you by Email. Then you can login to the system to submit various forms and to make reservation of the KEK dormitory. The temporary password is valid for only 48 hours, thus please change the password for your use.
| Forms | Person to fill out | Menu | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter of Agreement for Experiments | Spokesperson | User Support System Spokespersons Only Administration |
It is required when the proposal is accepted. |
| Statement of Acceptance (Radiation Safety) [Form 10] | All members visiting KEK | User Support System Administraion Procedures for Visiting KEK-J-PARC Please send printed Form 10 to Radiation Reception High Energy Accelerator Research Organization 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0801, Japan Tel +81-(0)-29-864-5496 Email: rad-office[at]ml.post.kek.jp |
It is required both at the time when the proposal is accepted and at the beginning of every fiscal year (April). For Category G Users, whose proposals become active in October, submissions are required three times although the validity term is two years. These documents are also required when new members join your group. This form MUST arrive at the Radiation Reception no later than at least two working days before your arrival. |
| Declaration of introduction of samples/chemicals into the Photon Factory | Spokesperson | User Support System Spokespersons Only Administration |
Before each beamtime, you have to declare them in advance. This form must be submitted for every beamtime at least two weeks before the allocated beamtime. |
| Declaration of the intended use of heating devices | Person planning to use heating devices | User Support System Administraion Procedures for Visiting KEK-J-PARC |
When you plan to use any form of heating device at the Photon Factory, this declaration must be submitted at least two weeks prior to use. You will not be able to use such devices unless you have submitted this form. [More details] |
| Application for Wireless LAN access | Person planning to use wireless LAN | User Support System Administraion Procedures for Visiting KEK-J-PARC |
You should register your computer's MAC address if you would like to use wireless LAN. It is valid until the end of March of the current fiscal year. You should make the annual renewal on every April. [More details] |
Since FY2021, all safety courses are available online.
PF users are requested to receive safety training of PF every Japanese fiscal year starting from April. You must take the online safety training via the User Support System. Note that you must submit the Form 10 before taking the online safety training.
Once you complete the course, you will be print out a certificate of the course completion. The certificate includes "Application for radiation work in controlled area". Every time you come to PF for radiation work, please bring your printed certificate with you.
Dormitory rooms are available for visitors. All reservation will be arranged from 45 days prior to the first day of your stay and you can reserve the dormitory room by the User Support System.
Those who presently have the position in a public or private university, or a national research institute in Japan will be paid for travel and staying expenses according to the rule of KEK. You can also apply to it with the User Support System.
When you need to change or cancel your reservation, please notify to Users Office with the confirmation number as soon as possible.
Foreigners entering Japan in principle need first to obtain a visa from a Japanese embassy or consulate in your own countries. However, if your country has a reciprocal visa exemption arrangements with Japan, you do not need a visa as long as your purpose is certain (such as research/study, giving a lectures in conferences, attending meetings/conferences) and the period is within the designated limit.
If you find that you need a visa for entering Japan, please contact with your Contact Person in Japan in advance.
Regarding the list of countries that have visa exemption arrangements with Japan and the further datails, please refer to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Official Web Site.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan : Visa/Residing in Japan
If you wish to ship materials to the Photon Factory, please refer to the following instruction.
Shipping to the Photon Factory
Upon your arrival at KEK, please go straight to the Users Office if you have reserved the dormitory. You can pick up a Confirmation notice (document) and pay a lodging fee at the counter. If you arrive at the weekend or outside the office hours, you can pick it from a box in front of the office entrance.
Regarding payment, please consult with office members during the office hours. Only cash in JPY is acceptable for the payment.
If your arrival time and departure time prohibit your payment during your stay (for example: you stay only during a weekend), please consult with the Contact Person in Japan.
The normal check-in time is between 4 and 10pm. When you arrive at the dormitory, please confirm your name and room number on the bulletin board at the main entrance hall and receive your room key from the dormitory manager. The dormitory entrance is locked from 10pm to 7am for safety reasons. Should you arrive during this time, please receive the entrance key and the room key at the Guard's Office at the main gate of KEK campus.
Please submit the printed certification of your "on-line safety training" at the entrance of PF experimental hall. You can receive your dosimeter and ID card.
Before starting your experiment, please read the Safety Guide for Photon Factory Users. Most important points are summarized in the document "6 important rules for experiments at PF".
Safety Guide for Photon Factory Users 6 important rules for experiments at PF [PDF]
Contact information of a member who is currently responsible in your experiments should be input to the "PF Experiment Information Management System (http://pf-userexp.kek.jp)" [accessible only in KEK], and a printed copy of the "Declaration of introduction of samples/chemicals into the Photon Factory" form and any other necessary safety information should be displayed on the Beamline Display Board. Please read the above link for details.
After completing the proposed experiments at PF, you are required to submit the following forms accordingly.
| Form | When to submit |
|---|---|
| User report for "PF Activity Report" | The PF annually publishes Activity Report to summarize all scientific activities at our facilities. It consists of two parts; Part A "Highlights and Experimental Facilities" and Part B "Users' Reports". Users are highly expected to contribute to "Users' Report". Please refer to the page of call for submission. |
| Brief report of the program PDF WORD |
When your experiment is completed but you cannot submit any user reports for the PF Activity Report, a "Brief report of the program" form should be submitted by the spokesperson to the PF Office. In case of submitting a user report of the program for the Photon Factory Activity Report Part B, this "Brief report of the program" is not needed to submit. |
| Publication record (including theses) |
Publications and theses that include results of experiments performed at the PF should be registered to the KEK Publication Database. See also the Q&A site. |
