SAM - Compact High-Brillance Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Instrument

SAM is a pinhole geometry instrument for small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments, aiming at the determination of the structure of large-scale objects (1 – 100 nm) in various systems of physical interest. These span the fields of biophysics, magnetism, material science, soft matter & superconductivity.

SAM features polarized neutrons capabilities for experiments at wavelengths typically in the 4-12 Å range.

The space between the end of the collimator and the entrance of the detector vessel can be smoothly tuned to accommodate any kind of optional equipment or bulky sample environment. SAM has a highly modular character which also calls for the implementation of further options in a near future (such as polarization analysis, MIEZE spectroscopy, etc.).

The installation of the SANS part of SAM (including polarization features) started mid-June 2023 and was completed by the end of February 2024. The secondary shutter was opened for the first time on March 4th. SAM has then succesfully completed its ‘hot commissioning’ phase (March-May 2024). First user experiments have taken place in June-July 2024, before the ILL long shutdown. SAM is now open for SANS experiments in soft and hard condensed matter, with or without polarized neutrons.

Applications

• Soft condensed matter: organic & inorganic colloidal particles, polymers blends or in solution, gels, liquid crystals, self-assembly of surfractant molecules, ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvents, ...
• Biology: proteins, nucleic acids, biomembranes, vectors for drug delivery, ...
• Material science: phase separation in alloys & glasses, morphologies of superalloys, microporosity in ceramics, interfaces & surfaces of catalysts, radiation-induced damages in steels, ...
• Magnetism & superconductivity: flux line lattices in superconductors, magnetic correlations, long-period structures (e.g. helimagnets), superparamagnets, magnetic nanoparticles, ...