CHRNS NG1 CANDOR - Chromatic Analysis Neutron Diffractometer or Reflectometer

Instrument Purpose

Characterizes the nuclear and magnetic composition of buried interfaces and thin-film structures by utilizing a continuous white neutron spectrum to achieve rapid measurement speeds and real-time kinetic insights. CANDOR is part of the CHRNS partnership, jointly funded by the National Science Foundation and NIST to provide the scientific community with access to transformative neutron scattering instrumentation.

Key Capabilities

• 30×+ Gain in Data Rate: CANDOR revolutionizes reactor-based reflectometry. By collecting a broad range of wavelengths simultaneously (4 Å – 6 Å) rather than a single monochromatic slice, it achieves data collection speeds much faster than traditional reflectometers.
• Innovative Chromatic Detection: Employs a unique detector array consisting of 54 individual pyrolytic graphite analyzer crystals in series. This static, reliable configuration allows the instrument to sort the reflected "white" beam into distinct energy bins, maintaining high resolution while utilizing the full flux of the cold source.
• Real-Time Structural Evolution: The massive jump in intensity enables "neutron movies"—the ability to observe structural changes in batteries, membranes, or chemical coatings as they happen, with time resolutions previously impossible at a steady-state source.

Research Domains

• Energy Storage: Operando studies of lithium transport and interfacial degradation in solid-state batteries, high-entropy phase transitions, and gas adsorption studies in MOFs.
• Quantum Materials: Materials and interfaces for ultra-low power distributed and neuromorphic computing; mapping magnetic depth profiles in spintronic systems; understanding and designing new superconductors.
• Qubit Optimization: Isolating defects to improve coherence lifetimes and optimize fabrication processes for quantum devices.
• Process Development: Revealing processing artifacts on film quality for next-generation logic devices, such as amorphous oxide semiconductors for back-end-of-line transistors.
• Soft Matter & Biology: Investigating the dynamic self-assembly of lipid bilayers and the swelling of stimuli-responsive polymers.
• Thin Film Kinetics: Tracking rapid diffusion, oxidation, or phase transitions in multi-layered coatings.

What You Can Measure

• Specular Reflectivity: Used to determine the depth profiles of nuclear composition and magnetic field in thin films and multilayers with down to sub-nanometer resolution. Provides absolute determination of layer thickness (1 nm to 200 nm), roughness, and scattering length density.
• Non-Specular Reflectivity: For characterizing microscopic in-plane structural features in thin films, such as magnetic domains and lateral polymer phase separation.
• Diffraction: For rapid measurements of atomic structure, especially for large unit cells.
• Kinetic Data: Snapshots taken in minutes rather than hours, allowing for the study of non-equilibrium states.
• Autonomous Data Collection: Integration with active learning software that analyzes data in real-time to automatically identify the most valuable next points to measure, further increasing efficiency.

Technical Specifications

Specialized Sample Environments

• Magnetic Fields: Standard polarized beam measurements in up to 3 T.
• Temperature Control: Standard range of 2.5 K to 315 K.
• Electric Fields: Capability to apply up to 2 kV across thin-film samples.
• Liquid Cells: For studying solid-liquid interfaces.