CDR

The CDR Process was launched at the November AfLS2020 virtual event.

The CDR Process is managed by a Twiki .... You can visit the Twiki to see the real-time progress.
Calling for Letters of Interest in the African Light Source ..... Click here to submit

Introduction: The CDR is one of the most significant documents envisaged for the Roadmap of the AfLS. This document concretises any conversation with African governments, Pan African organisations, and any national and international organisations. Its intended audience includes policy makers, politicians, academics, engineers, technicians, business persons, industrialists, financiers, strategic thinkers, all possible stakeholders and stakeholder organisations and of course, the general public.

For many large-scale multinational research infrastructures, the true day zero, from which the path to the actual commissioning of facility could be dated, is in fact the date of completion of the CDR. This will represent the transition from a dream to a vision that has been concretised and described in detail. Its motivation, its context, its purpose, and its content.

The CDR will still not indicate the site and the source of funds of the future AfLS facility. However, it will indicate the criteria for site selection. Furthermore, it will include and a reasonably accurate conception of the what must be constructed, including all site preparation, supporting infrastructure and staff requirements. This means the CDR enables and concretises the real detailed conversations from the political level, through the scientific level, to all other levels, engineering, technical and financial.

Process : The procedure for the production of the CDR will embody the African concept of ubuntu. This means, it will be a document by the community for the community. The procedure will be explicitly consultative, democratic and inclusive. Prof Sekazi Mtingwa is the overall editor of the CDR set of five volumes.

In addition, each volume of the CDR will have its own Sub-editor. Each chapter or sometimes each group of chapters of the various CDR Volumes will have their own set of Lead Authors. The Lead Authors have the dual roles of Convenors, to take the lead in casting the net wide and with an equitable geographic footprint to solicit Letter of Intent (LoI). Following this process, to arrange Town Hall Meetings. These are virtual online well-advertised and carefully planned Community Consultative Workshops (CCWs).

The CCWs are premised on the success of the call for LoIs, reaching out to the community, on a per discipline basis, inviting all Africans to become Co-authors. Each of the Co-authors or groups of Co-authors will have submitted, prior to the Workshop, their LoI. They can present this at the workshop as a short presentation. The LoI and presentations define the research and science the community would like to do, or any other aspect of the CDR where they make input. The community will have the opportunity discus this in the context of similar or related presentations. The Lead Authors can then facilitate collaboration among LoI Co-authors and groups of Co-authors, if they choose to accept this. LoI may also emanate from entire Institutions.

Ultimately the Co-authors, as grouped by the Lead Authors, will then produce White Papers. The White Papers motivate and describe the contributions of the (groups of) Co Authors. These will be the final outcome emanating from the CDR Workshops, as mentioned before, on a per discipline basis. The White Papers will be peer reviewed. This step assures the (groups of) Co authors retain their rights to recognition of their role in the CDR production process. It establishes the full authorship of the CDR, including the Editor, Sub editors, Lead authors and Co authors.

The AfLS will edit, arrange the reviewing of and produce a dedicated scientific Volume for the publishing of the White Papers. The particular Journal for this part is still under discussion, it will however be an African publication.  The Lead Authors, under supervision of the Sub Editors, will join the White Papers smoothly into the content of the four volumes of the AfLS CDR. The CDR editor of course has overall responsibility for the CDR. The CDR Editor and Sub editors will take the material of the White Papers as processed by the Lead Authors and retire for several months together in a context of an Institute of Advanced Study funded working visit. The identification of the Editor, Sub editors, and Lead Authors nearly complete.

The CDR is planned for completion by the end of 2023. At this time, writing of the CDR has begun. the call for LoIs is out. The details are recorded in the Twiki as linked below, or as accessible directly from the Twiki site.

Process Summary

  1. Recruit Volume / Chapter / Section Lead Authors and also Section Authors.
  2. Solicit Letters of Interest from Individuals and Organisations from the widest footprint in Africa, the Diaspora and Friends of Africa.
  3. Hold Town Hall Meetings by Chapter or Volume as appropriate.
    1. Presentations from the Authors of the LoI.
    2. Arrange LoI Authors in Groups to write White Papers.
  4. Publish White Papers in peer reviewed African Science Journal.
  5. Lead Authors and Authors for Volumes / Chapters / Sections draft CDR by sections based on the White Papers.
    1. Lead Authors for Volumes / Chapters / Sections also draft independently.
  6. Lead Authors of Volumes and Editor finalise the CDR Volumes  in a residential Advanced Study Institute model.

The CDR Process is managed by a Twiki

CDR : 5 Volumes (Editor: Sekazi Mtingwa)

Volume I. Scientific, Socio-Economic, Educational and Political Benefits (Sub-editor :Marcus Newton)

  • Science Case
  • Socio-Economic Benefits and Impact
  • Educational Benefits/Human Capacity Building
  • Enhancement of Governmental Policies
  • Roadmap Forward

Volume II. Machine Design Concepts 

  • Lessons Learned from Global AdLSs
  • Machine Components
  • Other Facilities

Volume III. Scientific Capabilities and Beamline Technical Concepts

  • Gamma-ray Spectroscopy and Crystallography
  • Macromolecular X-ray (MX) Crystallography
  • Materials and Chemical Crystallography
  • Micro-crystallography
  • Small/Wide-angle Scattering (SAXS/WAXS)
  • Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXD)
  • X-ray Spectroscopy (XAS/XES, XAFS, EXAFS, XANES, XFS, Auger)
  • UV-vis, Electronic and Optical Spectroscopy
  • Infrared Spectroscopy
  • Pump-probe, Multi-color, and Time-resolved techniques
  • Computed Micro- and Nano-Tomography
  • Surface Microscopy and Imaging
  • Beamlines for Medical Use
  • Experimental Hutch Mechanical Systems
  • Detectors and Electronics
  • Data Handling, Algorithms, Software and Analysis
  • Theory Centres
  • Other Technical Capabilities for other Instruments, Fields of Study and Innovations

Volume IV. Technical Infrastructure and Building Design (Sub-editor :Simon Connell*, Rudolf Dimper , Nathaniel Reed-Yehuda)

  • Site Selection Criteria
  • Conceptual Design Specifications
  • On-site User Support Facilities
  • Computational infrastructure

Volume V.  Multinational Project Finance and Governance Concepts (Sub-editor: Jean-Pierre Ezin, Connie McNeely, Simon Connell, Aba Andam, Paul Woafo)