FIGARO

FIGARO (Fluid Interfaces Grazing Angles ReflectOmeter) is a brand new high flux, flexible resolution, time-of-flight neutron reflectometer that is optimized for the study of horizontal surfaces such as free liquids, and was launched as a user instrument at the ILL in April 2009.

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FIGARO (Fluid Interfaces Grazing Angles ReflectOmeter) is a high flux, flexible resolution, time-of-flight reflectometer with a vertical scattering plane, that was commissioned at the ILL by April 2009. It is used for studies of thin films at air/liquid, liquid/liquid and solid/liquid interfaces mainly in the realms of soft matter and biology. Applications involve the study of the interaction of proteins with lipid monolayers on a Langmuir trough, and the surface behaviour of surfactants, polymers and other amphiphiles in adsorption troughs. No polarized neutron option is available currently, but this is an option not excluded for the future. A special feature of the instrument is the possibility to strike the interface from above or below the sample in a wide q-range. With an incoming beam of wavelengths comprised between 2 Å and 30 Å, and M=4 supermirrors to deflect the beam, it is possible to attain a q-range up to 0.42 Å-1 on horizontal samples when the beam is deflected down and up to 0.27 Å-1 when the beam is deflected up. A GISANS/NSSANS option was commissioned in the second half of 2011. A range of sample environments for measurements at the air/liquid and solid/liquid interfaces are available for users. By the end of 2011 there had been over 120 scheduled experiments on the beamline, and indeed 2011 kick-started a series of publications. A thorough technical reference paper on the instrument may be found HERE.

FIGARO

Phone on instrument FIGARO+33 (0)4 76 20 7499

Instrument Team

NameFirst namePhone(s)SecretaryEmailFunction
CAMPBELLRichard+33 (0)4 76 20 7097 +33 (0)4 76 20 7356campbell(at)ill.euResponsible
WATKINSErik+33 (0)4 76 20 7412 +33 (0)4 76 20 7356watkins(at)ill.frCo-responsible
WOODSimon+33 (0)4 76 20 7551
+33 (0)4 76 20 7286
+33 (0)4 76 20 7356wood(at)ill.frTechnician

Instrument Layout

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