Instruments list

To maintain its status as leader in neutron science, the ILL has constantly upgraded its instruments and infrastructures over the last 50 years. The latest modernisation exercise - the ENDURANCE programme (2016-2023) - will continue to develop instrumentation and support services with a view to maintaining the Institute's world-leading position for another decade at least. The instruments which have been/are being upgraded within the ENDURANCE programme show its logo in their main page.

Instrument overview

Diffraction group

Powder diffractometers	Instrument type	Application	Technique	Science Domain
D1B	Two-axis diffractometer	- Determination of magnetic structure - Study of spin reorientation transitions - Phase transitions investigated by thermodiffractometry - Time resolved experiments kinetics studies - Dynamical studies in solid state chemistry - In situ neutron diffraction - In situ chemistry, chemical intercalation via solid-gas reaction - Texture analysis - Physisorption	Powder diffraction	Magnetism and quantum materials Chemistry of materials Engineering Reactions and catalysis
D2B	High-resolution two-axis diffractometer	- Structural chemistry of non-rigid molecules - Ab-initio structure solution from powders - Crystal and magnetic structure determination of powder compounds (even small samples) - Dependance in temperature/pressure/magnetic field structural (or magnetic) studies for powders	Powder diffraction	Magnetism and quantum materials Chemistry of materials Engineering Energy
D20	High intensity two-axis diffractometer with variable resolution	- Thermodiffractometry - Magnetism - Kinetics - Multi-stroboscopy - Texture - Very small samples - Highly absorbing samples - Disordered systems - Physisorption	Powder diffraction	Magnetism and quantum materials Energy Chemistry of materials
D4	Disordered materials diffractometer	- Short and intermediate range order in liquids and amorphous materials - Solving environment of atoms combining isotopic substitution and methods of first and second difference - Magnetic structure studies on very absorbent systems (containing Gd, Eu, etc.) - Pair-Distribution Function (PDF) analysis of powder diffraction patterns	Powder diffraction	Energy Environment Soft matter and polymers
D7	Diffuse scattering spectrometer	- Magnetic short range order in frustrated magnets and spin-glasses - Studies of non-collinear ferromagnetism - Extended magnetic defects in antiferromagnetic materials - Studies of hydrogen diffusion in metals - Separation of collective and single particle excitations	Powder diffraction	Magnetism and quantum materials Chemistry of materials
SALSA	Strain imager for engineering applications	- Mechanical behaviour of metal and ceramic materials - Transport sector (aerospace, terrestrial, marine) - Metallurgy - Additive Manufacturing - Composite materials - Post processing treatments (surface, heat treatments) - In-situ testing (load, fatigue, temperature)	Strain stress scanning	Engineering Environment
Single crystal diffractometers	Instrument type	Application	Technique	Science Domain
D3	Spin polarised hot neutron diffractometer	- High field configuration: Magnetic from factors; Magnetisation distributions - Zero-field configuration: Non-collinear magnetic structures; Antiferromagnetic form factors; Spherical polarimetry - Liquids configuration: structure of liquid and amorphous materials with high hydrogen content	Single crystal diffraction	Magnetism and quantum materials Chemistry of materials
D9	Hot neutron 4-circle diffractometer	- General themes: Structural phase transitions ; Atomic anharmonicity; Structural disorder; Hydrogen bonding; Packing of organic molecules; Magnetic structures, especially Gd ; Electron density studies; Twinning and superlattice problems; Ordering in alloys - Fundamentals of diffraction: Extinction effects; Test of dynamical theory; Thermal diffuse scattering; Resonance scattering - Special use: atomic resolution neutron holography	Single crystal diffraction	Magnetism and quantum materials Chemistry of materials
D10	4-circle diffractometer with three-axis energy analysis	- Conventional crystallography - Magnetic crystal structures - Modulated structures - Phase transitions, phase diagrams - Diffraction at extremely high or low temperatures, under pressure, or in high magnetic fields - Diffuse scattering - Quasi-elastic scattering - Crystalline thin films and multilayers - Inelastic scattering in four-circle geometry	Single crystal diffraction	Magnetism and quantum materials Chemistry of materials
D23	Thermal neutron two-axis diffractometer for single-crystals D23	- Determination of magnetic structures (in high field and/or high pressure, and at low temperature: Study of magnetic phase diagrams (field-temperature pressure-temperature, or both); Determination of magnetisation density maps (with the polarised neutron option) - Mainly in condensed matter physics: Strongly correlated electron systems (heavy fermion systems; borocarbides compounds; low dimensional magnetic systems; charge/orbital ordering systems); Molecular magnetism	Single crystal diffraction	Magnetism and quantum materials
OrientExpress	Laue-neutron diffractometer	- Minute sample orientation - Assessment of sample quality - Diffuse scattering	Single crystal diffraction
Powder & Single crystal diffractometers	Instrument type	Application	Technique	Science Domain
XtremD	High intensity powder and single crystal diffractometer optimised for the studies under extreme conditions of pressure, temperature and magnetic field.	- Powder and single-crystal neutron diffraction - Magnetic and nuclear structure determination - In-situ and in-operando experiments - Parametric studies as a function of pressure/magnetic field - Thermodiffractometry - Phase transitions, phase diagrams - Optimized for very small sample gauge volumes	Powder diffraction Single crystal diffraction	Magnetism and quantum materials

Large Scale Structures group

Large-scale structures diffractometers	Instrument type	Application	Technique	Science Domain
D11	Lowest momentum transfer & lowest background small-angle neutron scattering (SANS)	- Polymers and colloids - Polymer blends; solutions; Micelles; Dendrimers; Liquid crystals; Gels; Reaction kinetics of mixed systems - Materials science - Phase separation in alloys and glasses; Morphologies of superalloys; Microporosity in ceramics; Interfaces and surfaces of catalysts - Biological macromolecules - Size and shape of proteins; nucleic acids; Biomembranes; Drug vectors - Magnetism - Flux line lattices in superconductors; Magnetic correlations	Small angle neutron scattering SANS	Life sciences Soft matter and polymers Health Environment
D22	Large dynamic range small-angle diffractometer	- Soft matter - Polymer, colloids, membranes and self assembly - Biological macromolecules in solution - Biophysics - Magnetism, Nanoscale structure of materials - SEC-SANS, Rheo-SANS - Kinetic studies - TISANE	Small angle neutron scattering SANS	Life sciences Soft matter and polymers Health Environment
D16	Small momentum transfer diffractometer	- Biology/Biophysics - Colloids/Surfactants - Polymer physics - Materials science - Surface science	Small angle neutron scattering SANS Powder diffraction	Life sciences Soft matter and polymers Health Environment Energy
D33	Massive dynamic q-range small angle diffractometer	-Nano and mesoscale materials -Magnetism -Materials science -Polymers and colloids -Self assembly of surfactants -Biology and biophysics	Small angle neutron scattering SANS	Life sciences Soft matter and polymers Health Environment Magnetism and quantum materials
DALI	Quasi-laue diffractometer	- Single-crystal neutron diffraction studies of biological macromolecules at high resolution (1.5 - 2.5Å). - Visualisation of key hydrogen or deuterium atoms within biological macromolecules, identifying the protonation states of charged residues, the exact hydrogen-bond networks of bound small molecules or inhibitors, and the orientation of water molecules.	Single crystal diffraction	Life sciences Health
LADI	Quasi-laue diffractometer	Neutron protein crystallographic projects aim to address questions concerning: - Enzymatic mechanism - Ligand, drug or inhibitor-blinding interactions - Solvent structure - Structure dynamics and their implications	Single crystal diffraction	Life sciences Health
SAM	Small-angle diffractometer	- 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	Small angle neutron scattering SANS	Life sciences Soft matter and polymers Chemistry of materials Magnetism and quantum materials
Reflectometers	Instrument type	Applications	Technique	Science Domain
SuperADAM	Advanced reflectometer for the analysis of materials	- Solid Films and Superlattices - Soft Films and Multilayers - Materials Science Topics - Technical developments	Reflectometry	Health Life sciences Soft matter and polymers
FIGARO	Fluid Interfaces Grazing Angles Reflectometer	- Specular scattering from 'free liquid' (air/liquid, liquid/liquid) samples but also air/solid and solid/liquid interfaces - Off-specular scattering and GISANS from the above sample types - Kinetics phenomena on a minute or slower time scale	Reflectometry	Health Life sciences Soft matter and polymers Environment
D17	Neutron reflectometer with horizontal scattering geometry	- Study of surfaces and buried interfaces of thin solid films and multilayers - Solid-liquid interfaces and membranes - Examination of off-specular reflectivity from atomic and magnetic in-plane structure - Kinetic studies of interface evolution	Reflectometry	Health Life sciences Soft matter and polymers Environment

Reflectometer & neutron imaging	Instrument type	Application	Technique	Science Domain
NEXT	Neutron reflectometer and neutron imaging instrument for 5D (3D+ time + X/N) studies of thermo-chemo-hydro-mechanical processes monochromatic imaging grating interferometry (dark field and phase contrast) bragg edge imaging polarised neutron imaging	- Energy storage like Li-ion batteries and fuel cells - Porous media - Earth sciences - Materials Science - Engineering and metallurgy - Cultural and Natural Heritage - Water transport in plants or porous media - Wavelengths selective imaging to exploit diffraction contrast (Bragg edges) of different materials - Magnetic fields and domains	Reflectometry Imaging	Environment Energy Chemistry of materials Life sciences Reactions and catalysis

Reflectometer &
neutron imaging

Instrument type

Application

Technique

Science Domain

Neutron reflectometer and neutron imaging instrument for 5D (3D+ time + X/N) studies of thermo-chemo-hydro-mechanical processes

monochromatic imaging

grating interferometry (dark field and phase contrast)

bragg edge imaging

polarised neutron imaging

- Energy storage like Li-ion batteries and fuel cells
- Porous media
- Earth sciences
- Materials Science
- Engineering and metallurgy
- Cultural and Natural Heritage
- Water transport in plants or porous media
- Wavelengths selective imaging to exploit diffraction contrast (Bragg edges) of different materials
- Magnetic fields and domains

Reflectometry
Imaging

Environment
Energy
Chemistry of materials
Life sciences
Reactions and catalysis

Spectroscopy Group

Three-Axis Spectrometers

Three-axis spectrometers	Instrument type	Application	Technique	Science Domain
IN1-LAGRANGE	Hot neutron 3-axis spectrometer	- Dynamics of hydrogen-containing materials - H-bond dynamics of water confined in porous media - Location in the host matrix of molecular groups active in selectivity processes - Hydrides of metals and intermetallic compounds - Zeolites and metallic catalysts - Nano-crystalline materials for industry and applications (fullerenes, nanotubes, polymers and porous media) - Geochemistry matters for earth science (processes related to water, H-bond dynamics...)	3 axes spectrometry	Environment Energy Chemistry of materials Life sciences Reactions and catalysis
ThALES	Cold Triple-Axes Spectrometer with polarisation option	- Very high cold neutron flux and good signal-to-noise - Excitations in magnetically ordered and disordered system - Correlated electron systems - Unconventional superconductors - Frustrated and low-dimensional systems - Spin liquid systems - Spin-lattice coupling, electro-magnon - Multiferroic materials - Low-lying lattice excitations, phason modes	3 axes spectrometry	Magnetism and quantum materials
IN8	High-flux thermal 3-axis spectrometer	- Magnetic excitations, lattice vibrations and excitations in liquids - Samples of small volume and weak inelastic response due to its high incident flux	3 axes spectrometry	Magnetism and quantum materials
IN12	Cold 3-axis spectrometer	- Low energy magnetic excitation spectrum - Lattice dynamics at low frequency - Critical scattering and phase transition phenomena - Weak static magnetic moments (10^-2 μB) - Magnetic multilayers - Dynamics of the glass transition at low momentum transfer - Dynamics of amorphous materials at low momentum transfer - Dynamics of biological model membranes	3 axes spectrometry	Magnetism and quantum materials
IN20	Thermal 3-axis spectrometer with polarisation analysis	- Magnetic fluctuations and quantum critical points - Spin waves and their coupling to lattice modes - Crystal field excitations - Spin canting in amorphous magnets - High resolution line-width studies (TASSE)	3 axes spectrometry	Magnetism and quantum materials
IN22	Thermal 3-axis spectrometer with polarisation analysis	- Magnetic and structural excitations on single crystal with neutrons of 5-100 meV incident energy . - Longitudinal and spherical polarimetry of elastic or inelastic contributions (spherical polarimetry allowing measurements of inelastic nuclear-magnetic interference terms) - Polarized neutron inelastic scattering up to 12T magnetic field. - Magnetic phase diagram up to 40T with large pulsed magnetic field. - Life-time of magnetic and structural excitations with Neutron Resonance Spin Echo (NRSE) option - Experiments requiring a good resolution in wave vector and a low intrinsic neutron background	3 axes spectrometry	Magnetism and quantum materials

Time-Of-Flight

Time-of-flight spectrometers	Instrument type	Applications	Technique	Science Domain
IN5	Disk chopper time-of-flight spectrometer	- Local and long-range diffusion in disordered systems (liquids, molecular crystals, amorphous solids -superionic glasses, orientational glasses, spin glasses-, polymers, hydrogen-metal systems, ionic conductors - Dynamics of ’soft matter’, including gels, proteins and biological membranes - Dynamics of quantum liquids - Rotational tunnelling in molecular crystals - Crystal field splitting - Spin dynamics in high-TC superconductors - Critical scattering phenomena in dense gases and solids	Time of flight spectrometry	Magnetism and quantum materials Energy Chemistry of materials Health Environment
SHARPER	Cold neutron time-focussing TOF spectrometer	- Dynamics and relaxation properties in condensed matter exploiting both nuclear and magnetic scattering - Vibrational density of states of crystalline and amorphous solids - Dynamics of soft condensed matter such as polymers, proteins, biological membranes and gels - Local and long range diffusion of liquids, solutions and confined systems - Properties of quantum liquids, Fermi and non-Fermi systems - Phase transitions and quantum critical phenomena in polycrystals and single crystals - Spin dynamics in high-T_c superconductors - Properties of crystal field splittings	Time of flight spectrometry	Magnetism and quantum materials Energy Environment Soft matter and polymers
PANTHER	Thermal neutron time-of-flight spectrometer	- Crystal field excitations, spin-waves in magnetically ordered materials, magnetic excitations in quantum and/or frustrated magnets. - Lattice dynamics: phonon dispersion and phonon density of states. - Vibrational spectroscopy in the lower energy range. - Quantum rotations/translations of small molecules in confinements.	Time of flight spectrometry	Magnetism and quantum materials Energy

High resolution

High-resolution spectrometers	Instrument type	Application	Technique	Science Domain
IN13	Thermal neutron backscattering spectrometer	IN13 is mainly devoted to life sciences, in particular to the study of the dynamical features of macromolecular compounds in the μeV energy region, but scientific applications can be also found in areas of materials science, solid-state physics, geophysics and chemistry. - Biology: membranes and protein dynamics protein/membrane interactions extreme environmental conditions in biosciences and biotechnology in-vivo studies - Polymers and saccharides: saccharides and trehalose dynamics ; main chain and side chain motions in polymers ; conducting acid-doped polymers rotator phases - Confined media and inclusion compounds - Quasicrystals	Spectrometry backscattering	Health Life sciences Soft matter and polymers
IN15	Spin-echo spectrometer with time-of-flight and focusing options	- Dynamics in soft colloidal structures (e.g. liposomes, proteins, micelles, microemulsions) - Reptation in polymer melts - Alpha relaxation in glass-forming polymers - Diffusion of molecules in confined media - Magnetic excitations - Spin glass dynamics - Phonon linewidths	Spin echo scattering	Health Life sciences Soft matter and polymers Magnetism and quantum materials
IN16B	High flux cold neutron backscattering HR spectrometer	- An ideal application for backscattering spectroscopy is rotational tunneling of molecular rotors (e.g. -CH₃,-NH₄). New developments in this field have arisen from combining neutron spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. Tunneling in amorphous systems were first detected on IN16 as quasielastic broadening. - Hyperfine splitting of some elements (e.g. Co, Nd, Ho, V,...) is another example for inelastic spectroscopy in the micro-eV energy range. - Among the classical fields of application for quasielastic scattering are relaxation processes in glasses, H-diffusion in metals or proton and ionic conductors as well as diffusion of molecules confined in host matrices. Sometimes this research is related to fundamental studies for applications as energy materials or catalysis. - Of wide interest is the study of local dynamics in complex materials like polymers, membranes and biological samples	Spectrometry backscattering	Magnetism and quantum materials Health Life sciences Energy Environment
WASP	High-intensity spin-echo spectrometer	- Study of the motion of biological functional groups - Diffusive dynamics in incoherent scatterers - Dynamics in molecular magnets - Dynamics of 1d and 2d confined molecules - Development of new models for systems near the glass transition - Small samples (magnetic or other)	Spin echo scattering	Health Life sciences Energy Environment

Nuclear and Particle Physics group

Nuclear & particle physics group	Instrument type	Application	Technique	Science Domain
FIPPS	Gamma-ray spectrometer for thermal neutron induced reactions	FIPPS is composed of a highly collimated halo-free pencil neutron beam impinging on a stable or radioactive target surrounded by a high resolution High Purity Germanium detectors array. This setup consists in the phase I of the instrument. In a second phase, the High Purity Germanium detectors array will be coupled to a fission fragment spectrometer based on a gas filled magnetic (GFM) device.	NPP facility	Universe essentials
PF1B	Polarised cold neutron beam facility	PF1B is dedicated to the particle and nuclear physics experiments. It provides the strongest polarised and unpolarised cold neutron beam in the world currently available for particle and nuclear physics. PF1B is the simplest but most flexible instrument at the ILL. Some of the experiments just use its neutron beam, other profit from its many devices needed to polarise, form, characterise, shield or remove the neutron beam.	NPP facility	Universe essentials
PF2	Ultracold neutron beam facility	- The search for a neutron electric dipole moment - Neutron beta decay studies in a magnetic traps as well as in liquid and solid wall traps - Gravitationally bound quantum states - Ultracold neutrons (UCN) spectroscopy and diffractometry and optics - Very cold neutrons (VCN) interferometry - UCN quasielastic heating studies - The development of a neutron microscope and UCN monochromators, etc - Investigation of materials suited in UCN experiments	NPP facility	Universe essentials
PN1	Fission product spectrometer (Lohengrin)	- Investigation of spectroscopic properties of exotic neutron-rich nuclei - Fission process investigation and industrial applications	NPP facility	Universe essentials
SuperSUN	Super Ultracold Neutron Source	- address key questions of particle physics at the low-energy, high-precision frontier, complementary to experiments done at high-energy particle accelerators	NPP facility	Universe essentials
S18	Thermal neutron interferometer	- Neutron interferometry - Measurement of basic quantum physics laws - Measurement of neutron-nuclei scattering lengths - Quantum contextuality - Decoherence, dephasing and depolarisation experiments - Experiments with non-classical neutron states	NPP facility	Universe essentials