Imaging with polarized neutrons

Imaging with Polarized Neutrons

Neutrons have zero net electrical charge and can thus penetrate deeply into matter, but their intrinsic magnetic moment makes them highly sensitive to magnetic fields. These properties have been combined with radiographic (2D) and tomographic (3D) imaging methods to provide a unique technique to probe macroscopic magnetic phenomena both within and around bulk matter. Based on the spin-rotation ...

SUSANS With Polarized Neutrons

Super Ultra-Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SUSANS) studies over wave vector transfers of 10(-4) nm(-1) to 10(-3) nm(-1) afford information on micrometer-size agglomerates in samples. Using a right-angled magnetic air prism, we have achieved a separation of ≈10 arcsec between ≈2 arcsec wide up- and down-spin peaks of 0.54 nm neutrons. The SUSANS instrument has thus been equipped with the polari...

New aspects of geometric phases in experiments with polarized neutrons

Geometric phase phenomena have been observed with single neutrons in polarimeter and interferometer experiments. Interacting with static and timedependent magnetic fields, the state vectors acquire a geometric phase tied to the evolution within spin subspace. In a polarimeter experiment the non-additivity of quantum phases for mixed spin input states is observed. In a Si perfectcrystal interfer...

Detection of very small (n, γ) asymmetries with polarized neutrons

Parity non-conserving admixtures in nuclear states may be revealed from a very small asymmetry in the distribution of gamma-rays emitted after the capture of polarized neutrons in certain nuclei. An experimental accuracy at the limit of present possibilities is required. The criteria followed in developing the methods for reversing the neutron polarization and for the data collection and the co...

Imaging and Neutrons 2006