Small-angle neutron scattering at the instrument SANS-1

Dr. Ralph Gilles

The new small-angle scattering instrument SANS-1, a project of the Technische Universität München and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht is currently build at the new Foschungsneutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz, FRM II. To optimise the SANS-1 instrument with the claim to be at the “state of the art” many calculations and variations of instrument parameters were performed by Monte Carlo simulations in advance.

The instrument is designed to study heterogenous structures in the range from 1-300 nm. These structures can be of different nature such as precipitates or pores in metallic alloys or ceramics, polymers in solutions, magnetic and non-magnetic thin films, magnetic structures in nanocrystalline bulk materials, microemulsions or biological samples.

Parameters of SANS-1:

  • cross section of neutron guide 50 x 50 mm2 
  • collimation length of 20 m: a) neutron guide    b) aperture system   c) polarization      d) laser alignment
  • sample to detector distance 20 m, first detector with 8 mm resolution: 1 x 1 m2, lateral  movement: 0.5 m and second detector with 3 mm resolution: 0.5 x 0.5 m2
  • two optimized selectors for high resolution (6%) and high flux (10%)
  • kinetic experiments in the time range below msec
  • Q-range:  theoretical  0.0001Å-1 <  Q <  2 Å-1
  • planned in future: polarization analysis by 3He, lenses and chopper option
Fig. 1 (left): Overview of the SANS-1 instrument with the collimation and the detector tube.
Fig. 2 (right): View into the collimation chamber of the SANS-1.