Demonstration of Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Measurements with a Nested Neutron-Focusing Supermirror Assembly

Published

April 21, 2021

Author(s)

Huarui Wu, Zhiyuan Wang, Yao Zhang, Wenbo Mo, Pulin Bai, Kun Song, Zhong Zhang, Zhanshan Wang, Daniel S. Hussey, Yun Liu, Zhe Wang, Xuewu Wang

Abstract

Neutron-focusing mirrors with both a nested structure and supermirror coatings enable a large collecting area, and consequently a large neutron current gain for mirror-based instruments. A nested neutron-focusing supermirror assembly has been fabricated with nested conical optics. Here, we demonstrate a series of small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements using this supermirror assembly. A prototype instrument was built to measure the absolute scattering intensity of a solution of silica colloids and the instrumental resolution was calibrated with highly ordered SBA-15. By comparing the theoretical and experimental values of the minimum Q (Qmin), the non-geometrical component leading to the deterioration in Qmin is estimated and employed to calculate the performance of mirror-based SANS instruments. These results, together with the discussions on the capability of mirror-based instruments and other practical issues, are meaningful for promoting the development of neutron-focusing optics and mirror-based SANS instruments.

Citation

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

small angle neutron scattering, focusing, supermirror

Citation

Wu, H. , Wang, Z. , Zhang, Y. , Mo, W. , Bai, P. , Song, K. , Zhang, Z. , Wang, Z. , Hussey, D. , Liu, Y. , Wang, Z. and Wang, X. (2021), Demonstration of Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Measurements with a Nested Neutron-Focusing Supermirror Assembly, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=929703 (Accessed October 20, 2025)