Search

This paper reports on light yield enhancement of terbium-doped gadolinium oxysulfide based scintillator screens achieved by coating their substrates with thin layers of a high density and high atomic number material. For this purpose, iridium was chosen and layers of various thicknesses were applied by atomic layer deposition (ALD). We assessed newly developed scintillator screens for neutron absorption, light yield and spatial resolution and compared them to previously used non-iridium-coated scintillator screens. The addition of the iridium layer resulted in 65 % light yield enhancement in comparison to uncoated scintillator screens while the spatial resolution and absorption power remained unchanged., MethodsX, 6, ISSN:2215-0161

This paper reports imaging of objects with slow neutrons, specifically very cold neutrons and cold neutrons, at Institut Laue Langevin, using novel, permanent magnet (Nd2Fe14B) compound refractive lenses (MCRL) with a large 2.5 cm bore diameter. The MCRL focuses and images spin-up neutrons and defocuses spin-down neutrons via a large, radial magnetic field gradient. A single lens neutron microscope, composed of an MCRL objective lens with 2-fold magnification, was tested using very cold (slow) neutrons at 45 A wavelength. One-to-one imaging was obtained using 16.7 A polarized neutrons. The magnetic field gradient of the MCRL was measured by raster-scanned pencil beams on D33. Finally, a compound neutron microscope was realized using an MCRL condenser lens, which provided increased illumination of objects, and an MCRL as objective lens to produce 3.5-fold magnification.

A high-resolution neutron imaging system referred to as ‘Neutron Microscope’ (NM) has been recently established as a piece of instrumental equipment at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), Switzerland. It is providing the wide user community of the Neutron Imaging and Applied Materials Group (NIAG) with the capability of spatial image resolution below 5 µm at effective pixel sizes of 1.3 m. The NM has been designed as a portable, self-contained system that can be moved between beamlines at PSI with only moderate effort. In this contribution, we report on the first results and experience with the Neutron Microscope externally, at a beamline of another neutron source outside the Swiss Spallation Neutron Source (SINQ). In June 2018, NM has been transported to the Institute Laue-Langevin (ILL) and was successfully installed at the D50 beamline for four days. A gadolinium based Siemens star produced at PSI has been used for the assessment of the spatial resolution. The spatial resolution achieved using the Neutron Microscope at ILL-D50 equalled 4.5 µm. Above that, several high-resolution tomographies of various samples were acquired, of which an illustrative example is presented.

Neutron radiography is a powerful method of probing the structure of materials based on attenuation of neutrons. This method is most suitable for materials containing heavy metals, which are not transparent to X-rays, for example irradiated nuclear fuel and other nuclear materials. Neutron radiography is one of the first non-distractive post-irradiated examination methods, which is applied to gain an overview of the integrity of irradiated nuclear fuel and other nuclear materials. However, very powerful gamma radiation emitted by the samples is damaging to the electronics of digital imaging detectors and has so far precluded the use of modern detectors. Here we describe a design of a neutron microscope based on focusing mirrors suitable for thermal neutrons. As in optical microscopes, the sample is separated from the detector, decreasing the effect of gamma radiation. In addition, the application of mirrors would result in a thirty-fold gain in flux and a resolution of better than 40 μ m for a field-of-view of about 2.5 cm. Such a thermal neutron microscope can be useful for other applications of neutron radiography, where thermal neutrons are advantageous.

Within this paper we summarize new approaches for the utilization of neutron beams for imaging purposes. Whereas most of the methods are still based on the radiography mode - however now with higher performance with respect to spatial resolution, dynamic range and linearity (obtained often in short exposure time) - the new aspects of using polarized neutrons, the diffracted neutron signal or grating interferometers are linking towards neutron scattering investigations. Many of the new techniques have already found their user community, while some of them are based on users demands themselves. The further progress in the field depends much on the access to useful beam ports at suitable neutron sources.

Neutron imaging of sub-10-micrometres spatial resolution has been recently achieved in 2D mode within the framework of the Neutron Microscope project at the Paul Scherrer Institut. Here we report on the development of the PSI Neutron Microscope instrument and the results of the first microtomographic imaging experiment of multifilament superconducting MgB 2 wire. The sample of MgB 2 superconducting 37 multifilaments embedded in copper-nickel matrix was investigated –in microtomographic mode– with the scientific interest regarding the distribution of boron within the individual superconducting filaments (about 40 μm in diameter). The resulting tomographic dataset revealed the distribution of boron within the entire 0.8 mm thick multifilamental wire with the isotropic voxel size of 2.6 micrometres.

Conventional radiography based on attenuation of a well-collimated beam remains the mainstay of neutron imaging. The spatial resolution attained with this pinhole-camera method depends on the beam collimation; therefore, achieving the spatial resolution of a few microns is practically difficult, since collimating the neutron beam results in a low flux. The use of focusing devices allows maintaining sufficient spatial resolution without collimating the beam. Therefore, axisymmetric grazing-incidence focusing mirrors (Wolter mirrors) have begun to be introduced to neutron imaging. In this paper, a design of a neutron microscope for NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) is presented. We evaluate the spatial resolution and study field curvature aberrations of Wolter mirrors through ray-tracing simulations. A general formula is found describing the field curvature, and ways to counter these aberrations are discussed.

Graphical abstract, Highlights • High-resolution microtomography of gold sample with artificially induced pore space. • Comparison of the individual neutron radiograph with radiograph based on a common commercially-available tabletop X-ray source. • Demonstration of potential for high resolution non-destructive quantification of porosity in other high atomic number materials (such as, precious metal alloys)., Pilot attempt of the neutron microtomography of voids in gold carried out using the Neutron Microscope instrument is presented in the paper. The paper demonstrates that neutron microtomography provides viable alternative to X-ray imaging for the assessment of porosity in high atomic number materials. The model sample based on gold with artificially induced void system reveals segmented porosity with 5.4 micrometres voxel size and the spatial resolution close to 10 micrometres.

Novel Tb3+/Ce3+ co-doped Gd2O3 scintillation glass fiber faceplates had been developed and successfully used for cold neutron imaging. In order to achieve the best imaging results, some optimizations were proceeded. The scintillation efficiency or scintillation light yield of the Gd2O3 scintillation glass fiber was optimized through its composition adjustment. The optimum compositions of sensitizers Tb3+ and Ce3+ are 17% and 2% (mass percent), respectively. The diameters of the glass fiber and the thickness of the faceplate were optimized through the experiments and Monte Carlo Simulation. The optimum thickness of the faceplate is 0.4mm and the diameter of glass fiber is 6μm. The imaging system made of such scintillation glass fiber faceplate achieve a spatial resolution of 35.1lp/mm and a detection efficiency of 55.3%.

The improvement of neutron imaging towards and beyond the microscale is a well-documented need for the iterative characterization and modeling of numerous microstructured X-ray opaque materials. This work presents the recent progress in evaluating a SCIntillating FIber (SCIFI) proof-of-concept towards micron-level thermal neutron radiography. These SCIFIs are composed of 6Li-enriched silicate glass cores doped with a Ce activator. The cores possess ∼8.5 μm diameters and ∼10 μm pitch following fiber drawing with a cladding glass into an all-solid multicore fiber. A polished 5 mm × 5 mm array of 100 microstructured multicore SCIFI pixels was fabricated into a 1 mm thick faceplate. The neutron efficiency and light yield of the faceplate are characterized as functions of the 7.38 weight percent of Li2O, thickness, and the 70% active volume. It was determined that approximately 39% of a thermal neutron ( $\text{2 }$ A) beam can be absorbed by the faceplate. The $^6{\rm{Li}}({n,\; \alpha })t$ reaction is estimated to produce 7,700 ± 1,000 scintillation photons per event, referencing light collection from 241Am irradiation of the faceplate. Simulations suggest that on average 17.5 ± 1.4% of these photons will be transported to an end of the fiber array for a thermal beam, with at least 7.2% of that total scintillation light being confined into the fiber cores in which it originated. The SCIFI faceplate was integrated into the Neutron Microscope (NM) at the Pulse OverLap DIffractometer (POLDI) beamline located at the Paul Scherrer Institut to image a Siemens star test object. Processed neutron radiographs acquired with the proof-of-concept faceplate resolved features at a state-of-the-art resolution of 16.1 ± 0.5 μm. The potential for even high resolution designs having smaller pitch or different cladding material is discussed.

We performed neutron imaging of ferromagnetic transitions in Ni$_3$Al and HgCr$_2$Se$_4$ crystals. These neutron depolarization measurements revealed bulk magnetic inhomogeneities in the ferromagnetic transition temperature with spatial resolution of about 100~$\mu$m. To obtain such spatial resolution, we employed a novel neutron microscope equipped with Wolter mirrors as a neutron image-forming lens and a focusing neutron guide as a neutron condenser lens. The images of Ni$_3$Al show that the sample does not homogeneously go through the ferromagnetic transition; the improved resolution allowed us to identify a distribution of small grains with slightly off-stoichiometric composition. Additionally, neutron depolarization imaging experiments on the chrome spinel, HgCr$_2$Se$_4$, under pressures up to 15~kbar highlight the advantages of the new technique especially for small samples or sample environments with restricted sample space. The improved spatial resolution enables one to observe domain formation in the sample while decreasing the acquisition time despite having a bulky pressure cell in the beam.

The predominant geometry for a neutron imaging experiment is that of a pinhole camera. This is primarily due to the difficulty in focusing neutrons due to the weak refractive index, which is also strongly chromatic. Proof of concept experiments demonstrated that neutron image forming lenses based on reflective Wolter mirrors can produce quantitative, high spatial resolution neutron images while also increasing the time resolution compared to the conventional pinhole camera geometry. Motivated by these results, we report the design of a neutron microscope where two Wolter mirrors replace condensing and objective lenses, in direct analogy with typical visible light microscopes. Ray tracing results indicate that this system will yield 3 μm spatial resolution images with an acquisition time of order

In this work, for the first time, high-resolution neutron imaging (true spatial resolution of 13 μm) is used for irradiated nuclear fuel cladding, applying an adapted procedure for transfer, handling, and measurements of highly radioactive samples in combination with the neutron microscope detector at Paul Scherrer Institut. A sample container referred to as an active box for high-resolution neutron imaging of highly active spent nuclear fuel cladding sections was developed. Sections of unirradiated and irradiated cladding of duplex type, having a liner, with hydrogen average concentrations of 420 wppm and 450 wppm were investigated using this device. The irradiated cladding originated from a fuel rod operated for five cycles in a Swiss pressurized water reactor. The irradiated cladding sample was measured inside the active box. Long circumferential hydride accumulations were revealed together with notable hydride precipitation at the liner-substrate interface. Measurements of the unirradiated cladding in air and inside the active box delivered consistent results, confirming the applicability of the developed device for high-resolution neutron imaging.

Image-forming focusing mirrors were employed to demonstrate their applicability to two different modalities of neutron imaging, phase imaging with a far-field interferometer, and magnetic-field imaging through the manipulation of the neutron beam polarization. For the magnetic imaging, the rotation of the neutron polarization in the magnetic field was measured by placing a solenoid at the focus of the mirrors. The beam was polarized upstream of the solenoid, while the spin analyzer was situated between the solenoid and the mirrors. Such a polarized neutron microscope provides a path toward considerably improved spatial resolution in neutron imaging of magnetic materials. For the phase imaging, we show that the focusing mirrors preserve the beam coherence and the path-length differences that give rise to the far-field moiré pattern. We demonstrated that the visibility of the moiré pattern is modified by small angle scattering from a highly porous foam. This experiment demonstrates the feasibility of using Wolter optics to significantly improve the spatial resolution of the far-field interferometer. Keywords: neutron imaging; Wolter optics; polarized neutron imaging; far-field interferometer, National Institute of Standards and Technology (U.S.) (Award 60NANB15D361)

We demonstrate the feasibility of the production of isotopically-enriched gadolinium oxysulfide scintillator screens for the high spatial-resolution neutron imaging. Approximately 10 g of 157 Gd 2 O 2 S:Tb was produced in the form of fine powder (particle size approximately 2 µm). The level of 157 Gd enrichment was above 88%. Approximately 2.5 µm thick 157 Gd 2 O 2 S:Tb scintillator screens were produced and tested for the absorption power and the light output. The results are compared to the reference screens based on nat Gd 2 O 2 S:Tb. The isotopically enriched screens provided increase by a factor of 3.8 and 3.6 for the absorption power and the light output, respectively. The potential of the scintillator screens based on 157 Gd 2 O 2 S phosphor for the purpose of the (high-resolution) neutron imaging is discussed.

Here we present results stemming from the first prototype of the Neutron Microscope instrument at Paul ScherrerInstitut (PSI). The instrument is based on a very thin gadolinium oxysulfide (Gd2O2S:Tb+) scintillator screen and a magnifying optics. The Neutron Microscope prototype has been tested at the ICON and the BOA beamlines at PSI and sub-10 μm features can be clearly resolved on a focussed ion beam (FIB) enhance test object – a gadolinium-based Siemens star. The spatial resolution of the images of the gadolinium-based Siemensstar assessed by Fourier ring correlation was about 7.6 μm. The outlook for future improvement of the Neutron Microscope system is presented.

The NIST neutron imaging program will build a new imaging instrument in the NCNR guide hall at the end of the neutron guide NG-6, beginning operation in summer of 2015. The NG-6 guide has a spectrum that is strongly peaked at a neutron wavelength of 0.5 nm, with a fluence rate of 2 × 10 9 cm -2 s -1 before a bismuth filter that is cooled by liquid nitrogen. The instrument will be developed in a phased manner and with an emphasis on maintaining a flexible space to conduct experiments and test new instrument concepts. In the initial phase of the instrument, the available space will permit a flight path of about 9 m, and will provide a platform for standard neutron radiography and tomography, wavelength selective imaging with a double crystal monochromator, and phase imaging based on a Talbot-Lau interferometer. The novel feature of the instrument will be the incorporation of Wolter optics to create a neutron microscope. Initially, prototype optics will be used in the microscope configuration to assess optic characteristics and image acquisition techniques. In the final form, the microscope will enable users to acquire images with ∼10 μm resolution 10-100x faster than current practice, and with a 10x magnifying optic to acquire images with ∼1 μm spatial resolution with image acquisition time similar to that for current images with ∼10 μm resolution.

An extraordinary focusing property of a parabolic mirror for ultracold neutrons in the presence of the gravitational field was first reported by A. Steyerl and co-authors. It was shown that all neutrons emitted from the focus of the mirror will be reflected back upon the same focus point passing, in between, a point of return in the gravitational field. The present note offers a complementary geometric proof of this feature and discusses some implications., 6 pages, 1 figure

Low-energy neutrons are essential for the analysis and characterization of materials and magnetic structures. However, both continuous (reactor-based) and pulsed (spallation-based) sources of such neutrons suffer from low fluence. Steering and lensing devices could improve this situation dramatically, so increasing spatial resolution, detectable sample volume limits and even perhaps opening the way for the construction of a neutron microscope. Neutron optics have to date exploited either Bragg diffraction1,2, such as bent crystals, or reflection, as in mirror3 guides or a Kumakhov lens4,5. Refractive optics remain an attractive alternative as they would permit full use of the beam cross-section, allow a compact and linear installation and, because of similarity to conventional optics, enable the use of commercial design and simulation tools. These advantages notwithstanding, single-element refractive optics have previously been considered impractical as they are too weakly focusing, too absorptive and too dispersive. Inspired by the recent demonstration6 of a compound refractive lens (CRL) for high-energy X-rays, we have designed, built and tested a prototype CRL for 9–20-A neutrons by using readily available optical components: our CRL has gains greater than 15 and focal lengths of 1–6 m, well matched to small-angle neutron scattering.

An achromatic cold-neutron microscope with magnification 4 is demonstrated. The image-forming optics is composed of nested coaxial mirrors of full figures of revolution, so-called Wolter optics. The spatial resolution, field of view, and depth of focus are measured and found consistent with ray-tracing simulations. Methods of increasing the resolution and magnification are discussed, as well as the scientific case for the neutron microscope. In contrast to traditional pinhole-camera neutron imaging, the resolution of the microscope is determined by the mirrors rather than by the collimation of the beam, leading to possible dramatic improvements in the signal rate and resolution., To be published in Applied Physics Letters

Here we report the recent advances in the Neutron Microscope project at the Paul Scherrer Institut. We demonstrate the recent improvement on the capability of neutron imaging that allows us to acquire neutron images with isotropic spatial resolution of about 5 micrometres.

Images obtained with a high-magnification simple neutron microscope using a compound refractive lens are presented in this letter. The short focal length of the stack of Al biconcave lenses facilitated the setup of a simple neutron microscope at the D22 small angle scattering beam line at the Institut Laue Langevin, Grenoble, France that achieved a 35× magnification and a 214 μm resolution. Higher-resolution images could be obtained using improved neutron lens systems that enhance beam delivery from neutron sources and produce high-quality images in combination with higher resolution two-dimensional neutron detectors.

In the case of neutrons the refractive index is slightly less than unity for most elements and their isotopes. Consequently, thermal and cold neutrons can be reflected from smooth surfaces at grazing-incidence angles. Hence, the optical technologies developed for x-ray astronomy can be applied for neutron focusing. The focusing capabilities of grazing incidence neutron imaging optics have been successfully demonstrated using nickel mirrors. The mirrors were fabricated using an electroformed nickel replication process at Marshall Space Flight Center. Results of the neutron optics experiments will be presented. Challenges of the neutron imaging optics as well as possible applications of the optics will be discussed.

This paper is dedicated to the memory of Academician Il'ya Mikhailovich Frank (1908–1990). The papers of I.M.Frank for the period 1972–1974 concerning the optics of ultracold neutrons (UCN) are briefly reviewed and compared with later results obtained in this field. The basic stages of the development of a neutron microscope based on UCN are briefly described. The possibility of using neutron-optical methods for fundamental investigations with long-wavelength neutrons is discussed.

Pioneering work in the field of ultracold neutron (UCN) research at Dubna and Garching has generated an ever growing interest in strong UCN sources over the past 2decades. UCNs became a useful tool in a variety of applications; these include optical experiments, (neutron microscope, wave optics), the measurement of the neutron lifetime by bottle experiments, the search of an electric dipole moment of the neutron, and applications in highest resolution diffractometry and spectroscopy.

Two neutron microscope imaging experiments were performed at the Center for Neutron Research, at the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) on the NG-7 30-Meter Small Angle Neutron Scattering Instrument. The NIST neutron source wavelength could be varied from 5 a to 20 a, and the neutron bandwidth could be varied. For both microscope experiments the image resolution was 5.0 mm, and was determined and limited by the NG-7 neutron detector’s 5.0 mm pixel size. The image acquisition times were set to 300 sec. In the first experiment the neutron source wavelength was set to 5 a with an 11% bandwidth. A simple microscope with a 22.6x magnification, employing a compound refractive lens, composed of 201 aluminum (Al) biconcave lenses, was used to image a slit array in Cadmium (Cd) foil, located 139 cm downstream of the source. The Cd slit array consisted of 0.8 mm wide slits separated by 0.8 mm wide slats. The Al CRL had 1.98 mm radius of curvature, a 3.9 mm aperture, and a measured 1.2 cm field of view (FOV). An 85 lens version of this Al CRL had a measured 2.3 cm FOV and 9.4 x magnification, and was used to image at rat paw. The Cd slit array was placed upstream of the aluminum CRL at 74.5 cm object distance. In the second NIST experiment the neutron source wavelength was set to 8.5 a with a 10% bandwidth. A simple microscope with a 22.5x magnification, employing a compound refractive lens, composed of 100 MgF 2 biconcave lenses, was used to image materials and specimens containing hydrogen, whose main contrast mechanism for neutrons is incoherent scattering. The MgF 2 CRL had a measured 2.4 cm FOV. The hydrogen-rich material imaged was a polypropylene (hydrogen-rich) grid, and the biological specimens were a scorpion, a rat paw, and a plant leaf, and they were situated 122 cm downstream of the source, and 78 cm upstream of the MgF 2 CRL.

Neutron microscopy is in the initial stage of its technological development. We pin our greatest hopes on the use of ultracold neutrons (UCN) as the preferred method of investigation. The experiment here shows that it is possible to build the neutron microscope with UCN in spite of the largely disturbing action of gravity. However, this possibility is presently limited by the low intensity of available UCN sources. The most promising sources are phase contrast and polarization neutron microscopes.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

The results of imaging experiments using biconcave, spherical compound refractive lenses (CRLs) and a wide-bandwidth thermal neutron beam are presented. Two CRLs were used, consisting of 155 beryllium and 120 copper lenses. The experiments were performed using a thermal neutron beam line at McClellan Nuclear Radiation Center reactor. The authors obtained micrographs of cadmium slits with up to 5× magnification and 0.3 mm resolution. The CRL resolution was superior to a pinhole camera with the same aperture diameter. The modulation transfer function (MTF) of the CRL was calculated and compared with the measured MTF at five spatial frequencies, showing good agreement. ©2007 American Institute of Physics

Magnified images of materials containing hydrogen, for which the main contrast mechanism for neutrons is incoherent scattering, have been obtained using a microscope employing a neutron compound refractive lens (CRL). The CRL was composed of 100 MgF2 biconcave lenses that produced magnified (22.5×) images of polyethylene and polypropylene (hydrogen-rich) grids and biological specimens using 8.5A cold neutrons with a 10% bandwidth. For hydrogenous materials, 98%–99% of the attenuation is by incoherent scattering and 1%–2% from neutron absorption by the hydrogen nuclei. The small angle of acceptance of the CRL discriminates against scattered neutrons from the hydrogenous object, thereby producing the needed contrast for imaging.

Some problems of the optics of ultracold neutrons (UCNs) are examined. The possibility is discussed of designing high-resolution neutron-optical systems, and in particular, a neutron microscope using UCNs. The problems are analyzed of the specific distortions involving the appreciable action on the motion of UCNs of the Earth's gravitational forces. Experiments on focusing of neutrons are reviewed, the methods of designing neutron-optical systems for UCNs are presented, and the existing neutron-microscope projects are described.

The paper contains recent contributions to cold and ultracold neutron physics by groups at Garching and Grenoble, and, in a second part, by a group at the University of Rhode Island. We describe first results in neutron microscopy obtained at the ILL and Garching reactors. Two versions of a two-mirror neutron microscope were used: one employing ultracold neutrons and total-reflecting mirrors, and the other utilizing very cold neutrons in conjunction with multilayer mirrors. We then describe the essential features of the new source of ultracold and cold neutrons which is presently being set up at the HFR, Grenoble, and discuss the novel all-metallic neutron mirrors and guides which were developed in connection with this project. Finally a proposal by the University of Rhode Island for application of high-resolution neutron-optical techniques to the study of critical phenomena in liquids is presented.

We propose a concave blazed reflection zone mirror as an achromatic neutronoptical device for high-resolution image formation with ultracold neutrons. The possibility of application to a neutron microscope is discussed.

It is shown that, insofar as radiation damage is concerned, transmission neutron microscopy using neutrons in the energy range approximately 0.0001-1.0 eV is extremely attractive for the imaging of specialized organic materials. By "specialized organic materials" is meant organic specimens composed entirely of specific isotopes that have been selected on the basis of their favorable properties with regard to radiation damage. In connection with such specimens, it is demonstrated that at a resolution of, for example, 100 A, neutrons will have an advantage over soft X-rays in terms of radiation damage, provided that the inherent (neutron) bright field image contrast turns out to be greater than 10(-5). Suggestions relating to (a) the comprehensive calculation of the radiation damage sustained by specialized organic specimens under slow neutron irradiation, (b) the construction of a theory of image formation in the neutron microscope, (c) the development of neutron lenses/focusing devices, and (d) the development of a brighter neutron source (essential for neutron microscopy) are outlined in some detail. The paper concludes with two appendices, which provide important background material.