Experiments with neutron polarization analysis

Neutron polarization analysis experiments of the past 25 years are reviewed. In that time the technique has progressed from a curiosity to being a useful tool to be used when needed. In early experiments, the polarization of the scattered beam was analysed in the same direction as the polarization of the incident beam but, in some later experiments, full three-dimensional polarization analysis has been employed. This article starts by writing down the interactions which the neutron has with condensed matter and deriving the cross-sections for scattering and final polarizations of the scattered beam. This is done displaying the spin state functions of the neutron explicitly. A variety of experiments is then reviewed, commencing with the elastic and inelastic scattering experiments performed by Moon, Riste and Koehler in the late 1960s. Elastic scattering experiments where it is important to separate nuclear and magnetic cross-sections such as antiferromagnetic defect scattering are reviewed together with separation out of the nuclear spin scattering for various purposes. Of particular interest are the fully three-dimensional analysis experiments which reveal more about the structure and domain populations of certain antiferromagnets. Inelastic experiments for which polarization analysis is vital are those on paramagnets at high temperatures where it is necessary to discriminate against phonon scattering. Spin glasses are treated as frozen paramagnets. Polarization analysis also has another role to play in the separation of magnetic modes in both paramagnets and ordered magnets, and several of these experiments are reviewed. Finally it is possible to tag the polarization of a neutron beam in time and space and to measure the result at another time and place and this through various techniques yields information about the change in neutron energy on scattering. The techniques of pseudo-random flipping time of flight, neutron spectral modulation and neutron spin-echo spectroscopy are briefly reviewed but the techniques of polarized-neutron-beam management are left to another review.     

Magnetization distribution in magnetic films studied with Larmor-encoding

Additional information about the magnetization distribution in magnetic films is obtained with a 3D-polarimetry set-up. A pilot experiment was performed with the neutron polarization aligned perpendicular to the surface of a Fe-film in a magnetic field parallel to its surface. The Larmor-precession in the magnetic field between two current sheets was used to adjust the neutron polarization perpendicular to the sample surface. This new polarization-magnetization configuration was probed with a Fe-film in specular and off-specular scattering. The off-specular scattering is created by the magnetic domain structure of the Fe-film in remanence. The results of specular and off-specular scattering are reproduced by calculations for the configuration of the incoming neutron polarization parallel to the sample surface and the magnetic field and for the configuration of the incoming neutron polarization perpendicular to the sample surface and the magnetic field.     

On the detection of nuclear spin waves by inelastic neutron scattering

The possibility of measuring nuclear spin waves (NSW) by inelastic neutron scattering is discussed. The differential cross section and scattered state polarization for the scattering of thermal neutrons from systems described by the Suhl-Nakamura Hamiltonian are developed in the Van Hove correlation function formalism; the relevant correlation functions for the Suhl-Nakamura system are computed. The implications of these calculations for the feasibility of detecting nuclear spin wave modes in neutron scattering experiments are discussed.     

N-d elastic scattering and polarization calculations with tensor force and p-wave interaction

Three-body calculations for the n-d elastic scattering are preformed at E_n = 14.1 MeV with s and p-wave N-N interaction and tensor force. The tensor force is not able to reproduce even the order of magnitude of the elastic neutron polarization. It is also shown that the p-wave N-N interactions have an important effect on the neutron polarization.     

Magnetic structures and neutron polarimetry

In a thermal neutron scattering experiment, Spherical Neutron Polarimetry (SNP) requires that the incident and the final neutron polarization vectors be measured independently. The method exploits the maximum information one can get from magnetic neutron scattering. Recently, it has been used quite successfully in the study of antiferromagnetic structures and their domain populations. The challenging measurement is now straightforward with our neutron polarimeter CRYOPAD as long as the sample chamber does not contain any magnetic field. Polarimetry on magnetized samples remains the domain of the classical Uniax ial Polarization Analysis (UPA) which measures only the longitudinal component of polarization in an applied field.     

Nucleon elastic scattering from 40Ca between 11 and 48 MeV

Differential cross sections for the elastic scattering of neutrons from ⁴⁰Ca have been measured in the 19–26 MeV region. The neutron elastic scattering data, previous neutron measurements and additional proton elastic scattering data are analyzed using three different approaches to the optical model potential: Woods-Saxon parameterization, model independent analysis and microscopic calculations. The difference between the phenomenological neutron and proton real potentials is studied in terms of Coulomb effects, nuclear polarization and charge symmetry breaking in the nuclear mean field.     

Spin orbit interaction and polarization of slow neutrons

It is shown that the spin orbit (LS) interaction of an anomalous magnetic moment is twice that of a Dirac moment. In neutron scattering this interaction leads to an imaginary spindependent scattering amplitude. Possible experiments are discussed, where interference ofLS scattering and nuclear scattering in crystals without inversion symmetry leads to detectable neutron polarization.     

A polarized deuteron target in the d(e,e′)np reaction

Asymmetries for scattering of longitudinally polarized electrons from deuterons with a vector polarization as well as asymmetries for scattering of unpolarized electrons from deuterons with a tensor polarization have been considered for inclusive elastic ed scattering. The sensitivity of all asymmetries considered to the electric form factor of the neutron and to the spin structure of the deuteron wave function has been investigated.     

Neutron spin echo: A new concept in polarized thermal neutron techniques

A simple method to change and keep track of neutron beam polarization non-parallel to the magnetic field is described. It makes possible the establishment of a new focusing effect we call neutron spin echo. The technique developed and tested experimentally can be applied in several novel ways, e. g. for neutron spin flipper of superior characteristics, for a very high resolution spectrometer for direct determination of the Fourier transform of the scattering function, for generalised polarization analysis and for the measurement of neutron particle properties with significantly improved precision.     

Spin observables in neutron-proton elastic scattering

The analyzing power, , and the polarization transfer observables , and have been measured in neutron-proton elastic scattering at 260, 318, 386, 472 and 538 MeV for c.m. scattering angles between 64° and 160°. The data were obtained at PSI with a polarized neutron beam and a polarimeter analyzing the transverse polarization of the outgoing proton. They make a significant impact on the knowledge of the Isospin I = 0 nucleon-nucleon scattering. Received: 27 January 1998 / Published online: 30 March 1998     

On neutron depolarization in magnetized media

The neutron depolarization in magnetized samples is considered as a result of scattering in the case of arbitrary orientations between the incident polariztion, the sample field and the direction of polarization analysis. It is shown that the depolarization is determined by the small-angle magnetic scattering within the angular beam width and by an additional contribution arising from the spin-dependent scattering outside the passing beam. The latter follows from the consideration of the interference between the scattered and the transmitted beams. Special attention is paid to the analysis of several measuring regimes for the depolarization and its dependence on neutron wavelength. The depolarization in multidomain ferromagnets is considered.     

Applications of He neutron spin filters at the NCNR

At the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), we have applied ³He neutron spin filters (NSFs) to the instruments where ³He NSFs are advantageous, such as thermal triple-axis spectrometry, small-angle neutron scattering, and diffuse reflectometry. We present the status of our development and application of this method, including polarized gas production by spin-exchange optical pumping, magnetostatic cavities for storage of the polarized gas on the beam line, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based, on-line monitoring and reversal of the ³He polarization. We present the status of developing user-friendly interfaces incorporated into the instrument software to handle these ³He neutron spin filters while taking data and performing data analysis. Finally we discuss the status of development of a polarization capability on the multi-axis crystal spectrometer, which requires polarization analysis over a 220° angular range.     

Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Wave Interference on Ferromagnetic Alloys

The detection conditions and features of direct and scattered neutron wave interference are studied on magnetized Co₆₇Fe₃₁V₂ alloy slabs. The angular intensity distributions of neutrons passed through a sample are measured for the opposite polarization directions of the initial neutron beam. The sought-for effect that is induced by the magnetic scattering on crystal structure irregularities in specimens manifest itself by different areas of peaks “without neutron spin flip.” The ratio of these areas depends on the thermal treatment mode, sample thickness and strength of the magnetic field applied to the sample. The peaks “with neutron spin flip” are due to the mechanism of neutron wave passage through magnetononcollinear boundaries. The methods for experimental data acquisition and processing are reported as well.     

Retrieval of the complex reflection coefficient from nano scale thin films by using polarized neutrons and magnetic substrates

A method is proposed for overcoming the famous ‘phase problem’ in neutron specular reflectometry. It is shown that the complex reflection coefficient of any unknown non magnetic layer, with real scattering length density, can be determined by using a magnetic transmitted media and by measuring the polarization of the reflected beam relative to the incident beam. The method follows directly from a recent one which is limited to a one-dimensional neutron polarization. Here, the theory is generalized for a neutron polarization of arbitrary direction. We show that some combinations between the polarization of the incident and reflected beam must be used to determine the reflection coefficient. Also, it is shown that instead of full polarization or reflectivity analysis, some combinations between polarization and reflectivity can be used in the analysis process. The method is supplemented with a schematic example to test the method and its stability in the presence of experimental uncertainties and roughness of the interfaces. PACS 61.12.Ha; 28.20.-v     

In-situ SEOP polarizer and initial tests on a high flux neutron beam

Polarized ³He has shown its unique characteristics in many areas of polarized neutron scattering, its ability to polarize neutrons at short wavelengths, accept wide-angle and divergent beams and low backgrounds enable new classes of experiments. While polarized ³He is not a steady state solution as commonly applied, the benefits have been shown to offset the drawbacks of polarizing and refreshing the polarization in the neutron spin filter cells. As an extension of this work, in-situ polarization using the spin-exchange optical pumping (SEOP) method was explored as a means to construct a system which could be used to polarize ³He in the state used for an effective neutron spin filter to constant polarization while on the neutron beam. An in-situ SEOP polarizer was constructed. This device utilized many devices and principles developed for neutron spin filters which are polarized off the beam line using either SEOP or metastability exchange optical pumping (MEOP) under the same research program. As a collimation of this work effects of extremely high neutron capture flux density incident on the in-situ polarizer were explored.     

Spin dependence of the parity non-conserving neutron-nucleus interaction

We show that the spin dependence of the parity violating amplitudes can provide a clue to the precise origin of the large parity non-conserving effects observed in neutron scattering on nuclei. The polarization asymmetries for longitudinal and transverse polarization of the incoming neutrons allow the separation of these spin amplitudes. In the mechanism of parity admixing of the virtually excited compound nucleus states, the spin dependence of the weak amplitudes is determined by the spin dependence of the strong interaction amplitudes for the elastic channel of the decay of the p-wave resonance     

COULOMB CORRECTION OF THE p-4He LOW ENERGY SCATTERING PHASE SHIFTS

A simple approach of Coulomb correction to the p-⁴He low energy scattering phase shifts is proposed,in which the channel radius of each partial wave is taken as an adjustable parameter.By using the Coulomb correction the n-⁴He scattering observables predicted from p-⁴He scattering phase shifts are in excllent agreement with experiment.Our calculations show that the neutron polarization depends sensitively on the channel radius of p waves and the obtained channel radius are adeguate to the different sets of phase shifts.     

Design of a neutron polarizer using polarizing super mirrors for the TOF-SANS instrument at the J-PARC

Small-angle neutron scattering technique using polarized neutrons is powerful for studying structures in the range between nm and μm of magnetic materials. In addition, they have been used for the incident beam of focusing-geometry SANS instruments using a magnetic neutron lens, where a high polarization degree of about 99.9% is necessary because the imperfectness of the neutron polarization increases the background level. We are going to install such a magnetic focusing system on the new time-of-flight SANS (TOF-SANS) instrument at the J-PARC so as to make q_min smaller than 10⁻³ Å⁻¹ and improve the resolution of the conventional TOF-SANS at low q. As a polarizing device of the instrument, two V-shaped polarizing super mirrors arranged in crossed geometry to enhance the polarization degree has been considered. In this paper, we present the concept and the detailed design of this device and its performance estimated by Monte Carlo simulations.     

Instrumentation with polarized neutrons

Neutron scattering with polarization analysis is an indispensable tool for the investigation of novel materials exhibiting electronic, magnetic, and orbital degrees of freedom. In addition, polarized neutrons are necessary for neutron spin precession techniques that path the way to obtain extremely high resolution in space and time. Last but not least, polarized neutrons are being used for fundamental studies as well as very recently for neutron imaging. Many years ago, neutron beam lines were simply adapted for polarized beam applications by adding polarizing elements leading usually to unacceptable losses in neutron intensity. Recently, an increasing number of beam lines are designed such that an optimum use of polarized neutrons is facilitated. In addition, marked progress has been obtained in the technology of ³He polarizers and the reflectivity of large-m supermirrors. Therefore, if properly designed, only factors of approximately 2–3 in neutron intensity are lost. It is shown that S-benders provide neutron beams with an almost wavelength independent polarization. Using twin cavities, polarized beams with a homogeneous phase space and P>0.99 can be produced without significantly sacrificing intensity. It is argued that elliptic guides, which are coated with large m polarizing supermirrors, provide the highest flux.