Instruments
Time-of-flight spectrometry
There are 3 dedicated time-of-flight (TOF) spectrometers
IN5 Cold neutron multi-chopper TOF spectrometer
SHARPER Cold neutron time-focussing TOF spectrometer
PANTHER Thermal neutron TOF spectrometer
which use the time-of-flight of neutrons through the spectrometer to determine the energies of the incident and scattered neutrons. The instruments are optimized for different kinds of scientific studies, which depends mainly on their energy resolution and momentum transfer range.
An overview of instrument parameters is provided in the table below to help you choose the most suitable instrument. By clicking on the instrument, you can go directly to the dedicated instrument pages where more information can be found, including scientific highlights and contact details for the instrument scientists.
Time-of-flight instrument parameters
| IN5 | SHARP+ | PANTHER | |
|---|---|---|---|
λ (Å) |
15 to 1.5 |
6 to 1.5 |
3.3 to 0.79 |
Incoming energy Ei (meV) |
0.36 to 36 |
2.2 to 36.4 |
7.5 to 130 |
energy resolution ΔE (meV) |
4 µeV to 2.7 meV |
0.055 to 3.0 |
- |
Energy resolution ΔE / Ei |
7 to 1 % |
2.5 to 15.0 % |
3.8 to 5.5 % |
Max energy transfer in % of Ei |
70 % |
45 % |
85 % |
Qmin (A-1) |
0.5/λ |
0.4/λ |
0.06√ Ei |
Qmax (A-1) |
11.6/λ |
11.8/λ |
1.28√ Ei |
Horizontal dectector angles (deg) |
5 to 135 |
0 to 140 |
5 to 136 |
Vertical detector angles (deg) |
-20.5 to 20.5 |
-22 to 22 |
-13 to 30 |
Triple-axis spectrometry
There is a range of triple-axis (TAS) spectrometers which use crystal monochromators and analysers to determine the incident and scattered neutron energies. TAS spectrometers are mainly used to study single crystal samples, focusing on specific regions of interest in reciprocal space. The TAS instruments are optmised for different kinds of scientific studies, which depends for example on the energy and flux of the incident neutron beam, polarized neutron capability and the availability of specific sample environments.
IN1 TAS/LAGRANGE Hot 3-axis spectrometer
IN8 High-flux thermal 3-axis spectrometer
IN12 Cold 3-axis spectrometer (CRG)
IN20 Polarized thermal 3-axis spectrometer
IN22 Polarized thermal 3-axis spectrometer (CRG)
ThALES Three Axis instrument for Low Energy Spectrometry
An overview of instrument parameters is provided in the table below to help you choose the most suitable instrument. By clicking on the instrument, you can go directly to the dedicated instrument pages where more information can be found, including scientific highlights and contact details for the instrument scientists.
Triple axis instrument parameters
| Instrument | ThALES | IN8 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monochromator | PG002 | Si111 | Heusler | PG002 | Cu200 | Si111 | Si311 |
| Incident wave-number (Å-1) | 2.8,<1.5,1.2 | 2.8,1.5,1.2 | 2, 1.5 | 4.1 | 5 | 4.1 | |
| Incident flux (n/cm2/s) | 2.4*108,1.2*108,5*107 | 1.3*108,4*107,3*107 | 2.7*107,2*107 | 109 | 5*108 | 5*108 | 2.5*108 |
| Energy resolution (meV) | 0.8,<0.12,0.06 | 0.8,0.12,0.06 | 0.4,0.2 | 1.1PG002 analyser, kf=2.662 Å-1 | 0.9PG002 analyser, kf = 2.662 Å-10.55(Cu200 analyser, kf = 2.662 Å-1) | 1.0PG002 analyser, kf = 2.662 Å-1) | 2.2(PG002 analyser, kf = 4.1 Å-1) |
| Angular range (°) | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 |
| Comments | - FlatCone- Velocity selector-High magnetic fields | FlatCone- High magnetic fields | Polarised neutrons | FlatCone | FlatCone | ||
| Instrument | IN12 | IN20 | IN22 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monochromator | PG002 | PG002 + Polariser | Heusler (Cu2MnAl)111 | Si111 | PG002 | Heusler111 | Cu111 |
| Incident wave-number (Å-1) | 2.8,2, 1 | 2.8,2, 1 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 1.55,2.662,4.15,6.0 | 1.55,2.662,4.15,6.0 | 2.662,4.15,6.0,7.4 |
| Incident flux (n/cm2/s) | 8.107,108,2.107 | 2.8.107,3.5.107,6.106 | 108 | 2*108 | 6.0x106,27x106,58x106,25x106 | 1.3x106,6.0x106,13x106,5.0x106 | 9.0x106, 19x106,16x106, 2.8x106 |
| Energy resolution (meV) | 1,0.4,0.04 | 1,0.4,0.04 | 3 to 10% (incident energy) | 3 to 10% (incident energy) | 0.25,1,4,12 | 0.25,1,4,12 | |
| Angular range (°) | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 |
| Comments | Velocity selectorHigh magnetic fields | Velocity selectorPolarised neutronsCRYOPADHigh magnetic field for 1/2pol | Polarised neutronsCryopadFlatConePASTIS | FlatConeHigh Magnetic Fields | High magnetic fields40T option | Neutrons Spin echo option (ZETA)Polarised neutronsCRYOPADHigh magnetic fields | High magnetic fields |
| IN1-LAGRANGE | ||
|---|---|---|
| λ (Å) | 0.4 | 4.26 |
| energy resolution (meV) | 2-3 % of Ei | |
| incident energy (meV) | ||
| energy transfer (meV) | 0-500 | |
| Qmin (A-1) | 0,86 (reached at Ei=4,5meV) | |
| Qmax (A-1) | 15 (at Ei=500meV) | |
| Detector definition angleminimum - maximum | ||
| Comments | Scanning instrument, so the incident wavelength can be changed from 0,4 up to 4,26 | |
Neutron backscattering
Neutron backscattering provides higher energy resolution than TOF or TAS by using crystal analysers that operate in a backscattering geometry. There are 2 dedicated spectrometers
- IN16b Versatile high flux backscattering spectrometer
- IN13 Thermal neutron backscattering spectrometer
They differ essentially in terms of the energy of the incident neutrons and thus the energy resolution and momentum transfer.
An overview of instrument parameters is provided in the table below to help you choose the most suitable instrument. By clicking on the instrument, you can go directly to the dedicated instrument pages where more information can be found, including scientific highlights and contact details for the instrument scientists.
Backscattering instrument parameters
| IN13 | IN16B | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| λ (Å) | 2.23 | 6.27 | 6.27 (BATS) | 3.27 |
| Energy resolution (μeV) | 8 | 0.75 or 0.3 | 1.5 to 8 | 2 |
| Energy transfer | -100 to 100 | -30 to +30 | -700 to +300 | -59 to +59 |
| Qmin | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.7 |
| Qmax | 4.9 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 3.5 |
| Comments | higher Q | standardconfiguration | TOF extendeddynamic range | high Q |
Neutron Spin echo
Spin Echo Spectroscopy (NSE) achieves very high energy resolution using the change in polarization between the incident and scattered neutron beams to measure small energy changes due to the dynamics in the sample. The energy resolution is better than that of neutron backscattering and is expressed in Fourier times since the technique measures directly the intermediate scattering function I(Q,t). There are 2 dedicated spectrometers WASP and IN15, they differ essentially in terms of the detector coverage and therefore the count rate. IN15 holds the record for measuring the longest Fourier time – about 1 microsecond.
An overview of instrument parameters is provided in the table below to help you choose the most suitable instrument. By clicking on the instrument, you can go directly to the dedicated instrument pages where more information can be found, including scientific highlights and contact details for the instrument scientists.
Spin echo instrument parameters
| IN11 | IN15 | WASP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| λ (Å) | 3.8 | 12 | 6 | 17 | 3.8 | 10 |
| Fourier time (s) min | 4*10-12 | 90*10-12 | 3*10-12 | 5*10-12 | ||
| Fourier time (s) max | 42*10-9 | 1*10-6 | 3.4*10-9 | 62*10-9 | ||
| Qmin | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.43 | 0.16 | ||
| Qmax | 1.2 | 0.42 | 3 | 1.14 | ||
| Comments | removed from schedule | expected performance | ||||