Magnetically pulsed crystal monochromators on a pulsed neutron source

Abstract

For some crystal neutron monochromators a Bragg reflection can be found for which the structure factor for nuclear scattering is negligible, while that for magnetic scattering is large. Manipulation of the direction of the magnetisation within the crystal with respect to the scattering vector thus enables the reflectivity of the crystal to be switched on or off. On a pulsed neutron source such switching can be phased to the neutron pulse from the moderator, the duration of the magnetic “on” pulse defining the resolution of the monochromating device, and its exact phasing defining, within limits, the monochromated energy. This paper examines the principles of magnetically pulsed monochromation on a pulsed neutron source, and considers the performance of certain magnetic ferrites as pulsed monochromators. Comparisons are made between an inelastic scattering spectrometer based on ferrite monochromation and spectrometers using conventional (copper) crystal monochromators and choppers. It is shown that ferrite monochromation provides a comparible neutron flux at a given energy and resolution, with the additional flexibility that electronic control of the resolution permits an instantaneous balance to be made between resolution and neutron flux. It is also shown that magnetically pulsed monochromator techniques are well suited to crosscorrelation spectroscopy on pulsed neutron sources.