Astrophysics, Symmetries, and Applied Physics at Spallation Neutron Sources

The spallation neutron source (SNS) being built at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will be by far the highest flux pulsed source of epithermal neutrons in the world when it comes on line in 2006. Although the main thrust of the science program at the SNS will be materials science, the facility could provide outstanding opportunities for research in nuclear astrophysics, fundamental symmetries, and applied nuclear physics. To review the current status of these fields and to begin to assemble the scientific case and the community of researchers for future experiments at the SNS, a workshop on "Astrophysics, Symmetries, and Applied Physics" was held in March 2002 at the ORNL. Over 60 scientists, representing 11 US and 4 foreign universities as well as many national laboratories around the world, participated in the workshop. The proceedings describe the current state of research in those fields and the future opportunities at the SNS.