Compound Refractive Lenses for Thermal Neutron Applications

Abstract

This project designed and built compound refractive lenses (CRLs) that are able to focus, collimate and image using thermal neutrons. Neutrons are difficult to manipulate compared to visible light or even x rays; however, CRLs can provide a powerful tool for focusing, collimating and imaging neutrons. Previous neutron CRLs were limited to long focal lengths, small fields of view and poor resolution due to the materials available and manufacturing techniques. By demonstrating a fabrication method that can produce accurate, small features, we have already dramatically improved the focal length of thermal neutron CRLs, and the manufacture of Fresnel lens CRLs that greatly increases the collection area, and thus efficiency, of neutron CRLs. Unlike a single lens, a compound lens is a row of N lenslets that combine to produce an N-fold increase in the refraction of neutrons. While CRLs can be made from a variety of materials, we have chosen to mold Teflon lenses. Teflon has excellent neutron refraction, yet can be molded into nearly arbitrary shapes. We designed, fabricated and tested Teflon CRLs for neutrons. We demonstrated imaging at wavelengths as short as 1.26 ? with large fields of view and achieved resolution finer than 250 μm which is better than has been previously shown. We have also determined designs for Fresnel CRLs that will greatly improve performance.