Three Dimensional Polarimetric Neutron Tomography of Magnetic Fields

Through the use of Time-of-Flight Three Dimensional Polarimetric Neutron Tomography (ToF 3DPNT) we have for the first time successfully demonstrated a technique capable of measuring and reconstructing three dimensional magnetic field strengths and directions unobtrusively and non-destructively with the potential to probe the interior of bulk samples which is not amenable otherwise. Using a pioneering polarimetric set-up for ToF neutron instrumentation in combination with a newly developed tailored reconstruction algorithm, the magnetic field generated by a current carrying solenoid has been measured and reconstructed, thereby providing the proof-of-principle of a technique able to reveal hitherto unobtainable information on the magnetic fields in the bulk of materials and devices, due to a high degree of penetration into many materials, including metals, and the sensitivity of neutron polarisation to magnetic fields. The technique puts the potential of the ToF time structure of pulsed neutron sources to full use in order to optimise the recorded information quality and reduce measurement time.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

Quantitative Neutron Dark-field Imaging through Spin-Echo Interferometry

Neutron dark field imaging constitutes a seminal progress in the field of neutron imaging as it combines real space resolution capability with information provided by one of the most significant neutron scattering techniques, namely small angle scattering. The success of structural characterizations bridging the gap between macroscopic and microscopic features has been enabled by the introduction of grating interferometers so far. The induced interference pattern, a spatial beam modulation, allows for mapping of small angle scattering signals and hence addressing microstructures beyond direct spatial resolution of the imaging system with high efficiency. However, to date the quantification in the small angle scattering regime is severely limited by the monochromatic approach. To overcome such drawback we here introduce an alternative and more flexible method of interferometric beam modulation utilizing a spin echo technique. This novel method facilitates straightforward quantitative dark field neutron imaging, i.e. the required quantitative microstructural characterization combined with real space image resolution. For the first time quantitative microstructural reciprocal space information from small angle neutron scattering becomes available together with macroscopic image information creating the potential to quantify several orders of magnitude in structure sizes simultaneousl

Effective brilliance amplification in neutron propagation-based phase contrast imaging

Propagation-based neutron phase-contrast tomography was demonstrated on an insect sample, using the ISIS pulsed spallation source. In our proof-of-concept low-fluence experiment the tomogram with Paganin-type phase-retrieval filter applied exhibited an effective net boost of $23\pm 1$ in the signal-to-noise ratio as compared to an attenuation-based tomogram, implying an effective boost in neutron brilliance of well over two orders of magnitude. The phase-retrieval filter applies to monochromatic as well as poly-energetic neutron beams. Expressions are provided for the optimal phase-contrast geometry as well as conditions for the validity of the method. The underpinning theory is derived under the assumption of the sample being composed of a single material, but this can be generalized. The effective boost in brilliance may be employed to give reduced acquisition time, or may instead be used to keep exposure times fixed while improving contrast and spatial resolution

Experimental evidence for lamellar magnetism in hemo-ilmenite by polarized neutron scattering

Large local anomalies in the Earth's magnetic field have been observed in Norway, Sweden, and Canada. These anomalies have been attributed to the unusual magnetic properties of naturally occurring hemo-ilmenite, consisting of a paramagnetic ilmenite host (α-Fe2O3-bearing FeTiO3) with exsolution lamellae (≈3μm thick) of canted antiferromagnetic hematite (FeTiO3-bearing α-Fe2O3) and the mutual exsolutions of the same phases on the micron to nanometer scale. The origin of stable natural remanent magnetization (NRM) in this system has been proposed to be uncompensated magnetic moments in the contact layers between the exsolution lamellae. This lamellar magnetism hypothesis is tested here by using polarized neutron diffraction to measure the orientation of hematite spins as a function of an applied magnetic field in a natural single crystal of hemo-ilmenite from South Rogaland, Norway. Polarized neutron diffraction clearly shows that the ilmenite spins do not contribute to the NRM and that hematite spins account for the full magnetization at ambient temperature. Hematite sublattice spins are shown to adopt an average angle of 56∘ with respect to a saturating magnetic field, which is intermediate between the angle of 90∘ predicted for a pure canted moment and the angle of 0∘ predicted for a pure lamellar moment. The observed NRM is consistent with the vector sum of lamellar magnetism and canted antiferromagnetic contributions. The relative importance of the two contributions varies with the length scale of the microstructure, with the lamellar contribution increasing when exsolution occurs predominantly at the nanometer rather than the micrometer scale

Time-of-Flight Three Dimensional Neutron Diffraction in Transmission Mode for Mapping Crystal Grain Structures

The physical properties of polycrystalline materials depend on their microstructure, which is the nano-to centimeter scale arrangement of phases and defects in their interior. Such microstructure depends on the shape, crystallographic phase and orientation, and interfacing of the grains constituting the material. This article presents a new non-destructive 3D technique to study centimeter-sized bulk samples with a spatial resolution of hundred micrometers: time-of-flight three-dimensional neutron diffraction (ToF 3DND). Compared to existing analogous X-ray diffraction techniques, ToF 3DND enables studies of samples that can be both larger in size and made of heavier elements. Moreover, ToF 3DND facilitates the use of complicated sample environments. The basic ToF 3DND setup, utilizing an imaging detector with high spatial and temporal resolution, can easily be implemented at a time-of-flight neutron beamline. The technique was developed and tested with data collected at the Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility of the Japan Proton Accelerator Complex (J-PARC) for an iron sample. We successfully reconstructed the shape of 108 grains and developed an indexing procedure. The reconstruction algorithms have been validated by reconstructing two stacked Co-Ni-Ga single crystals, and by comparison with a grain map obtained by post-mortem electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD)

Simulation of a suite of generic long-pulse neutron instruments to optimize the time structure of the European Spallation Source

We here describe the result of simulations of 15 generic neutron instruments for the long pulsed European Spallation Source. All instruments have been simulated for 20 different settings of the source time structure, corresponding to pulse lengths between 1 ms and 2 ms; and repetition frequencies between 10 Hz and 25 Hz. The relative change in performance with time structure is given for each instrument, and an unweighted average is calculated. The performance of the instrument suite is proportional to a the peak flux and b the duty cycle to a power of approximately 0.3. This information is an important input to determining the best accelerator parameters. In addition, we find that in our simple guide systems, most neutrons reaching the sample originate from the central 3 5 cm of the moderator. This result can be used as an input in later optimization of the moderator design. We discuss the relevance and validity of defining a single figure of merit for a full facility and compare with evaluations of the individual instrument classes