Laboratoire National des Champs Magnétiques Pulsés CNRS – INSA

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Strong points
The scientific production of the LNCMI, or rather of its two precursors, the LCMI and the LNCMI
over the last fours years totals up to 650 publications (ACL + ACT), of which of 65 in high impact
journals like Physical Review Letters, and 10 in the highest impact journals like Nature and Science.
In view of the small scientific staff (in total 18 full time equivalent scientists), this is an excellent
productivity both quantitatively and qualitatively. The reasons behind this success are the quality of
the technical installations and the scientists of the LNCMI and its strong international orientation and
diversity, which attract many high level external users.
Weak points
Several senior members have left the LNCMI over recent years, and several more will leave in the
coming years, mostly because of retirement. Insufficient new positions were given by the CNRS and
associated universities to compensate this loss. Within the French system, the small number of staff
implies limited political influence on the attribution of positions, for which criteria like productivity or
excellence are not decisive.
The low number of teaching scientists is related to the fact that it is considered to be difficult to
combine teaching obligations with working in a user facility. The geographical separation between the
LNCMI installations and the university complexes, in particular in Grenoble, aggravates this problem.
As a consequence, the LNCMI is not very well known amongst the local students, and only a small
fraction of them chooses the LNCMI to do a PhD.
The installations of the LNCMI, both of its Grenoble and of its Toulouse site have not had a major
upgrade since the early 1990’s, and are rapidly loosing competitiveness with respect to the much better
funded, and therefore better equipped, international competition. The absence of a structural
investment scheme for TGE in France makes it difficult to find the necessary investments to improve
this situation.
Opportunities
The use of high magnetic fields for research purposes is worldwide strongly increasing, as witnessed
by the ongoing large investments in high field facilities in the USA, China, Japan, Germany and the
Netherlands, and by projects to bring high magnetic field infrastructures to other large facilities, like
synchrotrons (ESRF, APS, Spring-8) and neutron sources.(HZB, ILL, ISIS, SNS). Another important
development is the coupling of high magnetic field to large THz sources. THz radiation is a powerful
probe of magnetically induced states by cyclotron resonance and electron spin resonance. With this in
mind, the HLD has been constructed next to a THz free electron laser (ELBE), and the NHMFL and
the HFML will both have their dedicated free electron lasers, the former being still in the planning
stage, the latter being already in the construction phase.
In view of its long standing experience and very good reputation, the LNCMI has a high potential to
play an important role in these developments and to see the size and scope of its user community
increase. Realizing this potential will however require investments and additional manpower, which
are seriously lacking, and above all, a consistent long term view of the development of the French
TGIR.
Risks
The current LNCMI installations, both in Grenoble and Toulouse are essentially 20 years old, and
have not had any major upgrades during this period. The rapid developments in high field technology
make that the LNCMI will increasingly loose its international competitiveness and that it will be
abandoned by its external users, French and other, in favor of the international competition that can
offer better specifications and support. Several major projects to improve this situation have been
launched, (hybrid project LNCMI-G, upgrade LNCMI-T) but these are still lacking a solid financial
basis.
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