Focusing specular neutron reflectometry for small samples

¹ Laboratory for Neutron Scattering, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
² Laboratory for Developments and Methods, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland

^a e-mail: jochen.stahn@psi.ch

Received: 25 July 2011
Revised: 18 November 2011
Accepted: 1 March 2012
Published online: 23 March 2012

Abstract

In many areas of soft and hard matter research science, the amount of material to investigate is rather limited. Partly because the fabrication of larger samples is too expensive or not feasible, yet, partly because the interesting features depend on the size. The aim of this work is to develop a neutron reflectometer optimized for small samples and specular measurements. We present a new concept which is based on state-of-the-art neutron optical elements and which allows studies of samples 100 times smaller than with previous instrumentation. The concept is to use an elliptically focusing guide in the sample plane, and a converging beam geometry in the scattering plane. The latter allows for the simultaneous measurement of a wide angle-of-incidence range simultaneously. Here we report on the prototype setup and first measurements, where we reached a reduction of counting time by one order of magnitude. If a complete instrument is built based on the presented principle, another order of magnitude can be expected.