MAGIK Instrument Horizontal Sample Mode

In the summer and fall of 2019, the MAGIK neutron reflectometer was upgraded to implementing the original monochromator and a vertically mobile monochromator on a horizontal translation stage that could swap out one for the other depending on the desired configuration. The newly installed monochromator assembly that could be translated vertically provided a smooth and relatively constant beam for any incident angle. The experimental setup allows the sample environment to sit on a fixed stage for reflectivity measurements. This is currently the horizontally-modified MAGIk setup under beta testing.  

The horizontal MAGIK geometry and configuration is shown as schematic in the Figure 1 below. For the new horizontally-staged configuration, the neutron beam still passes through the new monochromator with an optimized wavelength of 5 Å. The neutron beam is then collimated on a horizontally-staged sample at an incident angle, \(\alpha_i\), by two pre-sample slits of width \(w_i\), and one aperture slit \(a_i\)  (Figure 1). The beam is then reflected off the sample, through another slit 3 at an angle \(\alpha_f\), where \(\alpha_i = \alpha_f\), toward the point source detector. Pre-sample slits 1 and 2 and post-sample slits 3 translate vertically along the z-direction to reach the sample interface. Future modifications will be made to implement a second post-sample slit, or slit 4, to further collimate the reflected beam and suppress background scattering.