Observation of extremely strong neutron scattering

The spectral dependence of the transmission of a collimated neutron beam by disordered quartz microstructures is measured. The observed mean free paths are very short, down to 200 nm. The results show that scattering with a characteristic value of the parameter kl⩽10 is realized near the neutron total external reflection edge. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 5, 291–295 (10 March 1998)     

密闭实验大厅内散射中子注量的模拟研究

为能够快速评判实验测试方案和预估实验结果,建立了中子体通量的快速估算模型。理论上,封闭空间中子平均体通量与特征长度的平方成反比,且中子体通量的大小能反映散射中子注量强弱。采用蒙特卡罗模拟方法,计算得到了密闭实验大厅内中子的体通量,以及不同位置处的散射中子注量,并将模拟得到的体通量和散射中子注量拟合成便于工程实践中应用的解析表达式,拟合结果与模拟结果的相对偏差小于10%。研究结果表明,球形空间内中子的体通量与球半径的1.905次方成反比;密闭实验大厅的中子体通量与大厅横截面宽度的1.948次方成反比,与长宽比的0.775次方成反比;球形空间结构内,每个源中子的平均径迹长度约为半径的5.4倍,而长方体密闭实验大厅内,单个源中子的平均径迹长度为大厅特征尺度的2~3倍。     

Neutron scattering length of lithium and boron and their isotopes

Coherent neutron scattering lengths and free cross sections were measured in order to determine the spin dependent scattering lengths of the isotopes of Li and B. The transmission measurements on Li at neutron energies of 0.51 meV, 1.26 eV and 5.19 eV delivered data for the⁶Li-abundances in the samples and for the free scattering cross section of⁷Li. By means of experiments on 15 different samples of lithium compounds we obtained the complex spin state scattering lengths for the bound atoms to be: (ie81-01) Measurements on 3 boron samples with different enrichments led to (ie81-02) A review on slow neutron scattering and resonance data shows an over all consistency of all values.     

Spectrum of vibrational frequencies of crystalline tungsten at temperatures of 293 and 2400 K

The slow neutron inelastic scattering spectra for a refractory (T _melt = 3680 K) Group VI transition metal of the Periodic Table, namely, tungsten, were measured for the first time in the range from room temperature to 2400 K. Measurements of the neutron scattering spectra of tungsten were performed on a DIN-2PI time-of-flight spectrometer installed at the IBR-2 reactor (Dubna, Russia). The sample was heated in a TS3000 K high-temperature thermostat. The spectrum of vibrational frequencies of the crystal lattice of tungsten at temperatures of 293 and 2400 K was determined from the measured neutron scattering spectra by the iterative method. A softening of the frequency spectrum of tungsten was observed with increasing temperature. This was explained by the increasing role of vibrational anharmonicity effects at high temperatures. The experimental results were compared with model calculations of the frequency spectrum of tungsten.     

Investigation of the evolution of the hydrated zirconia mesostructure at different stages of heat treatment

The mesostructure of amorphous xerogels based on hydrated zirconia ZrO₂ and its evolution at different stages of heat treatment have been investigated using the small-angle neutron scattering method. A correlation function of the nuclear scattering amplitude density has been obtained from experimental neutron scattering cross sections, and the characteristic radii of ZrO₂ nanoparticles and their specific surface areas have been determined. The influence of the annealing temperature on the fractal properties of the zirconia surface has been elucidated.     

Measurement of the fast neutron scattering and total cross sections of141Pr

The differential elastic neutron scattering cross sections of¹⁴¹Pr were measured at the incident neutron energies of 1.2, 1.7 and 1.9 MeV in the angular range between 25 and 150 degrees. At 1.7 MeV the differential inelastic neutron scattering cross sections corresponding toQ=?1122 keV, and at 1.9 MeV the ones corresponding toQ=?1122, andQ=?1295 keV were also determined. In a transmission experiment, the total cross section was measured between 0.50 and 2.42 MeV. The total and differential cross sections were calculated using the nuclear optical model. The calculated results were compared with the experimental data.     

Collective microdynamics of liquid lithium: An inelastic neutron scattering study

A portion of the dispersion curve for collective modes in liquid lithium has been constructed from experimental data on inelastic scattering of slow neutrons obtained on the DIN-2PI neutron spectrometer (IBR-2 reactor, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia). Measurements have been performed at a temperature of 500 K (T _m (Li) = 453.7 K). The coherent scattering component has been separated from the experimental spectra and analyzed. Information on the characteristics of collective excitations in liquid lithium has been derived.     

Lattice dynamics and inelastic neutron scattering experiments on andalusite,Al2SiO5

We report coherent inelastic neutron scattering measurements of the phonon dispersion relations and lattice dynamics shell model calculations of several microscopic and macroscopic properties of andalusite, Al₂SiO₅. Andalusite has an orthorhombic structure with 32 atoms/unit cell. The inelastic neutron scattering measurements (up to energy transfers of 45 meV) were carried out using the triple axis spectrometer at Dhruva reactor, India using a single crystal of andalusite and the phonon dispersion relations along the [100] direction have been measured. The shell model calculations have been used to compute the crystal structure, elastic constants, phonon frequencies, dispersion relations, density of states and the specific heat. The calculated results are in good agreement with available experimental data. The computed one-phonon neutron scattering structure factors based on the shell model have been very useful in the planning and analysis of the inelastic neutron scattering experiments.     

Classical and statistical analysis of40Ar(300 MeV)+197Au deep inelastic interaction

We examine the way in which local field effects in the neutron refractive index affect the values of coherent scattering lengths determined by various kinds of neutron optical measurements. We find that under typical experimental conditions these effects are negligible for interferometry measurements but that they are significant for gravity refractometry measurements, producing changes in the effective scattering length of as much as two or three standard deviations in some cases. Refined values of the scattering lengths are obtained for the thirteen elements for which data are presently available. The special role of local field effects in neutron transmission is also discussed.     

Determination of Moisture Content in Coke with <Superscript>239</Superscript>Pu–Be Neutron Source and BGO Scintillation Gamma Detector

A series of experiments has been conducted at the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics (FLNP) of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in order to study the possibility of determining the moisture content of coke using a standard neutron source. The proposed method is based on a measurement of the spectrum of prompt γ rays emitted when samples are irradiated by fast and/or thermal neutrons. The moisture content is determined from the area of the peaks of characteristic γ rays produced in the radiative capture of thermal neutrons by the proton (E_γ = 2.223 MeV) and inelastic scattering of fast neutrons by ¹⁶O (E_γ = 6.109 MeV). The ²³⁹Pu–Be neutron source (〈E _n 〉 ~ 4.5 MeV) with an intensity of ~5 × 10⁶ n/s was used to irradiate the samples under study. A scintillation detector based on a BGO crystal was used to register the characteristic γ radiation from the inelastic fast neutron scattering and slow (thermal) neutron capture. This paper presents the results of humidity measurement in the range of 2–50% [1, 2].     

Phonon dispersion relations in CeD2.12

The phonon dispersion relations in the three symmetry directions of CeD_2.12 have been measured by means of the inelastic neutron scattering technique. A sixth-neighbour Born-von Kármán tensor force model describes satisfactorily the characteristic features of the experimental results.     

On the Possibility of Observing the Effect of Anomalous Neutron Transmission in Predominantly Resonance Absorption by Perfect Crystals of InSb

Dynamic neutron diffraction on perfect InSb crystals is analyzed theoretically both under conditions of predominantly potential scattering and under conditions of predominantly resonant scattering. Attention is given primarily to the effect of anomalous neutron transmission. A project of an experiment aimed at studying this effect in predominantly resonant neutron scattering via a simultaneous detection of reflected and transmitted beams and secondary gamma rays is proposed. It is shown that such an experiment may be performed in beams from high-flow reactors.

     

Localized excitation in the hybridization gap in YbAl3

The intermediate valence compound YbAl3 exhibits a broad magnetic excitation in the inelastic neutron scattering spectrum with characteristic energy E1 approximately 50 meV, equal to the Kondo energy (T(K) approximately 600-700 K). In the low temperature (T < T(coh) approximately 40 K) Fermi liquid state, however, a new peak in the scattering occurs at E2 approximately 33 meV, which lies in the hybridization gap that exists in this compound. We report inelastic neutron scattering results for a single-crystal sample. The scattering at energies near E1 qualitatively has the momentum (Q) dependence expected for interband scattering across the indirect gap. The scattering near E2 has a very different Q dependence: it is a weak function of Q over a large fraction of the Brillouin zone and is smallest near (1/2,1/2, 1/2). A possibility is that the peak at E2 arises from a spatially localized excitation in the hybridization gap.     

T-violation neutron experiment and polarized3He

An experimental scheme of the spin detailed balance in polarized neutron transmission through a polarized nuclear target is discussed for the T-violation test. The value of the spin detailed balance is estimated by using the data of the scattering amplitudes. The nuclear polarizations of proton,³He and¹³⁹La are discussed for the T-violation experiment.     

The O–H stretching band in ice Ih derived via eV neutron spectroscopy on VESUVIO using the new very low angle detector bank

Strong demand exists for an experimental facility enabling new experimental investigations on condensed matter systems based on epithermal neutron scattering at high energy and low momentum transfers. This need will be met by the very low angle detector (VLAD) bank, to be installed on the VESUVIO spectrometer at the ISIS spallation neutron source. The equipment will operate in the scattering angular range 1°<2θ<5°. Scattering measurements from a polycrystalline ice sample using a VLAD prototype demonstrates the effectiveness of the detection technique adopted for the construction of the full detector array. The resulting density of states in ice is 9±2 atoms/cell, in agreement with previous measurements. PACS 61.12.Ex; 63.20.Dj; 63.50.+x     

On the Fermi approximation in slow neutron scattering

In this paper a general connection between the scattering from a bound and a free nucleus is derived in terms of formal scattering theory. The basic idea is to eliminate the interaction Hamiltonian between neutron and nucleus. Then theT-operator for a bound nucleus can be expressed by that of the free nucleus and its binding potential. From this equation an expansion is given as a power series in the binding potential for the nucleus. For slow neutron scattering the first term of the series leads to Fermi's approximation. The second term is the first correction to Fermi's approximation which contains no divergences for point scatterers contrarily to theories of other authors. In particular the correction to Fermi's approximation of the scattering amplitude is calculated for an elastically bound proton in the limit of zero-energy neutron.     

Research on glass cells for He neutron spin filters

Glass cells play an important role in polarized ³He neutron spin filters. To evaluate the scattering and absorption contribution from glass cells during neutron scattering experiments, we measured small-angle scattering and neutron transmission in GE180 and other glasses. The small-angle neutron scattering measurements revealed that the glasses used for ³He spin filters have acceptably lower scattering: dΣ(Q)/dΩ=4-7×10⁻⁴ cm⁻¹ at Q=0.03-0.12 Å⁻¹. The transmission measurement was performed at J-PARC. Neutron transmission of about 92% through empty GE180 cells was observed over a wide wavelength range 0.014-7.0 Å. To pursue the possibility of being a structural influence on ³He spin relaxation in GE180 glass cells, we performed precise X-ray diffraction measurement using synchrotron radiation at SPring-8. From these measurements, a structural difference was observed among GE180 glasses with different thermal treatments.     

Spin correlations in the paramagnetic phase and ring exchange in La2CuO4

Spin correlations in the paramagnetic phase of La(2)CuO(4) have been studied using polarized neutron scattering, with two important results. First, the temperature dependence of the characteristic energy scale of the fluctuations and the amplitude of the neutron structure factor are shown to be in quantitative agreement with the predictions of the quantum nonlinear sigma model. Second, a comparison of a high-temperature series expansion of the equal-time spin correlations with the diffuse neutron intensity provides definitive experimental evidence for ring exchange.     

Neutron-spin dynamics in elastic scattering on lead

Experiments are considered that are devoted to studying neutron-spin dynamics (that is, neutron-spin rotation) in the resonance elastic scattering of polarized neutrons on nuclei of lead isotopes and on their natural mixture. It is shown that the effect measured traditionally includes a true spin rotation upon the transmission through a sample and some addition associated with the instrumental error of the method. An estimate of this error and its validation, which were used, for the first time, to determine the effect on ²⁰⁴Pb, are given. Some measures to refine and expand relevant experimental procedure are proposed with the aim of performing a more thorough and a more diversified investigation of elastic neutron scattering on a nucleus. A program of investigations for all lead isotopes is outlined. Such investigations are of importance in connection with the possible existence of a previously unknown negative-energy P-wave neutron resonance in neutron capture by a ²⁰⁴Pb nucleus.     

Comparison between very-slow-neutron transmission and small-angle neutron-scattering experiments

The transmission of very cold neutrons as a method of investigating submicroscopic structures in matter is compared with small-angle neutron scattering, using an Al—Zn alloy as a sample. This pilot experiment shows that the size and density of precipitates can be reliably deduced from the transmission data, but small-angle scattering is capable of providing more detailed information.Work supported by the German Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie