It uses the techniques of muon spectroscopy and neutron scattering to probe the structure and dynamics of condensed matter on a microscopic scale ranging from the subatomic to the macromolecular.

The second target station was given funding in 2003 by Lord Sainsbury, then science minister, and was completed in 2009, on time and budget, with the opening of 7 instruments.

[5] According to its Annual Report from 2017 to 2018, STFC expects the end of the ISIS pulsed neutron source and the associated Second Target Station to be in 2040 and anticipates decommissioning to take 55 years.

[6]: 51 ISIS Neutron and Muon Source is administered and operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (previously CCLRC).

ISIS is also one of the few neutron facilities to have a significant detector group that researches and develops new techniques for collecting data.

Among the important and pioneering work carried out was the discovery of the structure of high-temperature superconductors and the solid phase of buckminsterfullerene.

[7] TS2 uses low-energy neutrons to study soft condensed matter, biological systems, advanced composites and nanomaterials.

[9] The instruments currently at ISIS Neutron and Muon Source are:[10] The final episode of series 1 of the Sparticle Mystery was filmed on site.