Panther — the new thermal neutron time-of-flight spectrometer at the ILL

Panther is a new high-flux medium-resolution direct-geometry thermal-neutron time-of-flight spectrometer at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL). It designed for inelastic neutron-scattering measurements of excitations in condensed matter using single crystals, polycrystalline samples, and liquids. uses double focusing graphite or Cu monochromators, Fermi chopper, position-sensitive 3 He detectors covering 2 steradians solid angle. A system disc choppers an optional sapphire filter are used to reduce epithermal neutron background. Thermal background reduced by radial oscillating collimator, beam dump, elaborate set Cd shielding inside evacuated detector tank. The outside tank covered 0.3 m thick layer borated high-density polyethylene ambient cosmic design performance instrument its current status described, as well planned developments.