Towards a Modelling of USANSPOL Intensities from Magnetic Ribbons

AbstractAmorphous magnetic ribbons represent both novel technologically relevant complex samples which are currently in the process of material development for use as magnetic sensors and actuators due to their exceptional magnetostriction properties as well as illustrative examples for developing the technique of ultra-small-angle polarised neutron scattering (USANSPOL) for the study of magnetic microstructure. We present the formalism on which the USANSPOL technique is based and highlight a potential route on which USANSPOL data analysis may be performed. Experimentally obtained scattering patterns are the results of a variety of parameters like material composition and production conditions as well as various environmental conditions, including zero-field environment, the influence of external magnetic field, mechan- ically induced stress, or a combination of both effects, and in magnetically saturated state. In the case of non-isotropic structures a two-dimensional record of the scattered neutron intensity is essential and more complexity is added by the special features of magnetic neutron scattering and the USANSPOL technique itself. In this work we concentrate on these peculiarities and describe the current experimental status which is driven by the underlying USANSPOL scat- tering formalism. Recent experimental results are presented to illustrate the phenomenological correspondence to our modelling

A CVD diamond detector for (n,alpha) cross section measurements

Copyright owned by the author(s) under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike LicenceIn astrophysics, the determination of the optical alpha-nucleus potential for low alpha-particle energies, crucial in understanding the origin of the stable isotopes, has turned out to be a challenge. Theory still cannot predict the optical potentials required for the calculation of the astrophysical reaction rates in the Hauser-Feshbach statistical model and there is scant experimental information on reactions with alpha particles at the relevant astrophysical energies. Measurements of (n,alpha) cross-sections offer a good opportunity to study the alpha channel. At the n_TOF experiment at CERN, a prototype detector, based on the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond technology, has been recently developed for (n,alpha) measurements. A reference measurement of the 10B(n,alpha)7Li reaction was performed in 2011 at n_TOF as a feasibility study for this detector type. The results of this measurement and an outline for future experiments are presented here

A 0.5 MW/10 Hz option of the spallation source AUSTRON

In 1993-94 a feasibility study for AUSTRON, a neutron spallation source, was made on behalf of the Austrian Ministry of Science and Research. At that time, the machine was synchrotron cycling at 25 Hz and delivering an average beam power of 205 kW at 1.6 GeV. An option to double the power by doubling the frequency was foreseen. Now a more ambitious development of the original concept is proposed that aims at 0.5 MW at 1.6 GeV, pulsed at either 50 Hz or 10 Hz. The slow repetition rate is achieved by the addition of a storage ring holding four consecutive (single bunch) pulses from the 50 Hz synchrotron until a fifth pulse is accelerated and transferred to the target with the four stored ones. In this way, an energy per pulse of 50 kJ (one half of the pulse energy of the 5 MW ESS) is obtained, yielding about 3.5*10/sup 16/ thermal neutrons/(s cm/sup 2/). This peak flux matches well a number of innovative instruments and allows unprecedented resolution for some more conventional ones. On August 20, 1998, the Austrian Government has unanimously decided to contribute one third of the total cost of the facility and invites international partners to participate. (13 refs)

Noncyclic Pancharatnam phase for mixed state SU(2) evolution in neutron polarimetry

We have measured the Pancharatnam relative phase for spin-1/2 states. In a neutron polarimetry experiment the minima and maxima of intensity modulations, giving the Pancharatnam phase, were determined. We have also considered general SU(2) evolution for mixed states. The results are in good agreement with theory.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Phys.Lett.

Wavelength-selected Neutron Pulses Formed by a Spatial Magnetic Neutron Spin Resonator

AbstractWe present a novel type of spatial magnetic neutron spin resonator whose time and wavelength resolution can be de- coupled from each other by means of a travelling wave mode of operation. Combined with a pair of highly efficient polarisers such a device could act simultaneously as monochromator and chopper, able to produce short neutron pulses, whose wavelength, spectral width and duration could be varied almost instantaneously by purely electronic means with- out any mechanical modification of the experimental setup. To demonstrate the practical feasibility of this technique we have designed and built a first prototype resonator consisting of ten individually switchable modules which allows to produce neutron pulses in the microsecond regime. It was installed at a polarised 2.6Å neutron beamline at the 250kW TRIGA research reactor of the Vienna University of Technology where it could deliver pulses of 55μs duration, which is about three times less than the passage time of the neutrons through the resonator itself. In order to further improve the achievable wavelength resolution to about 3% a second prototype resonator, consisting of 48 individual modules with optimised field homogeneity and enlarged beam cross-section of 6 × 6cm2 was developed. We present the results of first measurements which demonstrate the successful operation of this device

Reflection and Transmission in a Neutron-Spin Test of the Quantum Zeno Effect

The dynamics of a quantum system undergoing frequent "measurements", leading to the so-called quantum Zeno effect, is examined on the basis of a neutron-spin experiment recently proposed for its demonstration. When the spatial degrees of freedom are duely taken into account, neutron-reflection effects become very important and may lead to an evolution which is totally different from the ideal case.Comment: 26 pages, 6 figure

Present Status and Future Programs of the n_TOF Experiment

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License 3.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any noncommercial medium, provided the original work is properly citedThe neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF at CERN, Switzerland, operational since 2001, delivers neutrons using the Proton Synchrotron (PS) 20 GeV/c proton beam impinging on a lead spallation target. The facility combines a very high instantaneous neutron flux, an excellent time of flight resolution due to the distance between the experimental area and the production target (185 meters), a low intrinsic background and a wide range of neutron energies, from thermal to GeV neutrons. These characteristics provide a unique possibility to perform neutron-induced capture and fission cross-section measurements for applications in nuclear astrophysics and in nuclear reactor technology.The most relevant measurements performed up to now and foreseen for the future will be presented in this contribution. The overall efficiency of the experimental program and the range of possible measurements achievable with the construction of a second experimental area (EAR-2), vertically located 20 m on top of the n_TOF spallation target, might offer a substantial improvement in measurement sensitivities. A feasibility study of the possible realisation of the installation extension will be also presented

Neutron cross-sections for advanced nuclear systems : The n-TOF project at CERN

© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2014 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly citedThe study of neutron-induced reactions is of high relevance in a wide variety of fields, ranging from stellar nucleosynthesis and fundamental nuclear physics to applications of nuclear technology. In nuclear energy, high accuracy neutron data are needed for the development of Generation IV fast reactors and accelerator driven systems, these last aimed specifically at nuclear waste incineration, as well as for research on innovative fuel cycles. In this context, a high luminosity Neutron Time Of Flight facility, n-TOF, is operating at CERN since more than a decade, with the aim of providing new, high accuracy and high resolution neutron cross-sections. Thanks to the features of the neutron beam, a rich experimental program relevant to nuclear technology has been carried out so far. The program will be further expanded in the near future, thanks in particular to a new high-flux experimental area, now under construction.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Cross section measurements of 155,157Gd(n, γ) induced by thermal and epithermal neutrons

© SIF, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019Neutron capture cross section measurements on 155Gd and 157Gd were performed using the time-of-flight technique at the n_TOF facility at CERN on isotopically enriched samples. The measurements were carried out in the n_TOF experimental area EAR1, at 185 m from the neutron source, with an array of 4 C6D6 liquid scintillation detectors. At a neutron kinetic energy of 0.0253 eV, capture cross sections of 62.2(2.2) and 239.8(8.4) kilobarn have been derived for 155Gd and 157Gd, respectively, with up to 6% deviation relative to values presently reported in nuclear data libraries, but consistent with those values within 1.6 standard deviations. A resonance shape analysis has been performed in the resolved resonance region up to 181 eV and 307 eV, respectively for 155Gd and 157Gd, where on average, resonance parameters have been found in good agreement with evaluations. Above these energies and up to 1 keV, the observed resonance-like structure of the cross section has been analysed and characterised. From a statistical analysis of the observed neutron resonances we deduced: neutron strength function of 2. 01 (28) × 10 - 4 and 2. 17 (41) × 10 - 4; average total radiative width of 106.8(14) meV and 101.1(20) meV and s-wave resonance spacing 1.6(2) eV and 4.8(5) eV for n + 155Gd and n + 157Gd systems, respectively.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio