Neutron fibres. II. Some improving alternatives and analysis of bending losses

For pt.I see ibid., vol.17, p.475 (1984). The possible confined propagation of slow (thermal) neutrons along cladded waveguides of small cross section (fibres) is studied, in order to improve a previously published analysis. Quite suitable possibilities for the core of the waveguide could be either Al or Si (or vacuum), so as to allow for confined propagation of neutrons along reasonable lengths, without large scattering and absorption losses. Tentative possibilities for the cladding could be either Ni or Fe. The bending losses are analysed for a curved neutron fibre in two spatial dimensions. Such bending losses turn out to be completely negligible, except in the case of a small radius of curvature Rc. To quote some typical values, for any fibre diameter between 0.1 and 1 mu m and reasonable lengths for it (between 5 and 10 cm), bending losses can be neglected other than for Rc