Spin-Textured Neutron Beams with Orbital Angular Momentum

We present a rigorous theoretical framework underpinning the technique of spin-echo modulated small-angle neutron scattering (SEMSANS), and show how the technique can be extended in order to generate spin-textured neutron beams with orbital angular momentum (OAM) via birefringent neutron spin-polarization devices known as magnetic Wollaston prisms. Neutron OAM beams are mathematically characterized by a ``cork-screw'' phase singularity $e^{i \ell \phi}$ about the propagation axis where $\ell$ is the OAM quantum number. To understand the precise relationship between the emergent OAM state and the variety of spin textures realized by various setups, we have developed a path-integral approach that in the interferometric limit makes a judicious use of magnetic Snell's law. We show that our proposed technique produces a complex two-dimensional pattern of spin-OAM entangled states which may be useful as a probe of quantum magnetic materials. We compare our path-integral approach to the well-known single-path Larmor precession model and present a pedagogical derivation of magnetic Snell's law of refraction for both massive and massless particles based on Maupertuis's action principle.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures, Physical Review

Correcting Aberrations of a Transverse-Field Neutron Resonance Spin Echo Instrument

The neutron resonance spin echo (NRSE) technique has the potential to increase the Fourier time and energy resolution in neutron scattering by using radio-frequency (rf) neutron spin-flippers. However, aberrations arising from variations in the neutron path length between the rf flippers reduce the polarization. Here, we develop and test a transverse static-field magnet, a series of which are placed between the rf flippers, to correct for these aberrations. The prototype correction magnet was both simulated in an NRSE beamline using McStas, a Monte Carlo neutron ray-tracing software package, and measured using neutrons. The results from the prototype demonstrate that this static-field design corrects for transverse-field NRSE aberrations.Comment: 8 figures, 10 page

Mesoporous silica formation mechanisms probed using combined Spin-Echo Modulated Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SEMSANS) and Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS)

International audienceThe initial formation stages of surfactant-templated silica thin films which grow at the air−water interface were studied using combined spin−echo modulated small-angle neutron scattering (SEMSANS) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The films are formed from either a cationic surfactant or nonionic surfactant (C16EO8) in a dilute acidic solution by the addition of tetramethoxysilane. Previous work has suggested a twostage formation mechanism with mesostructured particle formation in the bulk solution driving film formation at the solution surface. From the SEMSANS data, it is possible to pinpoint accurately the time associated with the formation of large particles in solution that go on to form the film and to show their emergence is concomitant with the appearance of Bragg peaks in the SANS pattern, associated with the two-dimensional hexagonal order. The combination of SANS and SEMSANS allows a complete depiction of the steps of the synthesis that occur in the subphase

BUILDING A NETWORK FOR NEUTRON SCATTERING EDUCATION

In a concerted effort supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Energy, the United States is rebuilding its leadership in neutron scattering capability through a significant investment in U.S. neutron scattering user facilities and related instrumentation. These unique facilities provide opportunities in neutron scattering to a broad community of researchers from academic institutions, federal laboratories, and industry. However, neutron scattering is often considered to be a tool for 'experts only' and in order for the U.S. research community to take full advantage of these new and powerful tools, a comprehensive education and outreach program must be developed. The workshop described below is the first step in developing a national program that takes full advantage of modern education methods and leverages the existing educational capacity at universities and national facilities. During March 27-28, 2008, a workshop entitled 'Building a Network for Neutron Scattering Education' was held in Washington, D.C. The goal of the workshop was to define and design a roadmap for a comprehensive neutron scattering education program in the United States. Successful implementation of the roadmap will maximize the national intellectual capital in neutron sciences and will increase the sophistication of research questions addressed by neutron scattering at the nation's forefront facilities. (See Appendix A for the list of attendees, Appendix B for the workshop agenda, Appendix C for a list of references. Appendix D contains the results of a survey given at the workshop; Appendix E contains summaries of the contributed talks.) The workshop brought together U.S. academicians, representatives from neutron sources, scientists who have developed nontraditional educational programs, educational specialists, and managers from government agencies to create a national structure for providing ongoing neutron scattering education. A concerted effort was made to involve representatives from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and minority educational institutions (MEIs). The roadmap contained herein provides the path to a national infrastructure for education of students, faculty, and professional researchers who wish to make use of national neutron scattering facilities but do not have (or do not believe they have) the educational background to do so. Education of other stakeholders, including the public, students in kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12), and policy makers is also included. The opening sessions of the workshop provided the current status of neutron scattering education in North America, Europe, and Australia. National neutron sources have individually developed outreach and advertising programs aimed at increasing awareness among researchers of the potential applications of neutron scattering. However, because their principal mission is to carry out scientific research, their outreach efforts are necessarily self-limiting. The opening session was designed to build awareness that the individual programs need to be coupled with, and integrated into, a broader education program that addresses the complete range of experience, from the student to the experienced researcher, and the wide range of scientific disciplines covered by neutron scattering. Such a program must also take full advantage of existing educational programs and expertise at universities and expand them using modern distance learning capabilities, recognizing that the landscape of education is changing

Measurement of the vortex core in sub-100 nm Fe dots using polarized neutron scattering

We use polarized neutron scattering to obtain quantitative information about the magnetic state of sub-100 nm circular magnetic dots. Evidence for the transition from a single domain to a vortex state, as a function of the dot diameter and magnetic field, is found from magnetization curves and confirmed by micromagnetic and Monte-Carlo simulations. For 20 nm-thick Fe dots with diameters close to 60 nm, the vortex is the ground state. The magnetization of the vortex core (140 ± 50 emu/cm3) and its diameter (19 ± 4 nm) obtained from polarized neutron scattering are in agreement with simulations