IMR: Development of an MIT Reactor Diffractometer: Enabling Novel Instrument Concepts and Educating Future Neutron Scientists

中子散射和光谱学是在原子和分子尺度上研究物质结构和动力学的主要工具之一。一个强大的新中子设施目前正在橡树岭国家实验室-散裂中子源(SNS)-建设中，人们普遍预计它将给这一领域带来革命性的变化，并使美国重新夺回几十年前被欧洲抢走的领导地位。SNS将促进新一代仪器的发展，新一代中子科学家，从而推动新一代中子科学研究。这一建议旨在开发新的仪器和培养下一代中子科学家，这两者现在都是实现SNS投资的科学影响的明确先决条件。中子散射和光谱分析是在原子和分子尺度上研究物质结构和动力学的卓越工具之一。一个强大的新中子设施目前正在橡树岭国家实验室-散裂中子源(SNS)-建设中，人们普遍预计它将给这一领域带来革命性的变化，并使美国重新夺回几十年前被欧洲抢走的领导地位。我们的研究将侧重于开发新的聚焦、偏振和成像方法。SNS对光学设计提出的独特挑战是可用中子能量的广泛范围。新的中子光学和来自SNS的中子通量的巨大改进相结合，将使建造以前不切实际的全新仪器成为可能。我们的研究将改进SNS目前计划的仪器的性能，并在三年内导致SNS成像仪器的新提议。我们设想了以下计划：(I)对学生进行关于中子散射基本概念的教育和培训；(Ii)通过允许通过中子散射进行快速评估，增强麻省理工学院和其他地方的新材料的生产；(Iii)开发新的中子光学组件；(Iv)概念性地开发一种新的成像仪器--吸收和相衬中子显微镜，供未来在SNS安装；以及(V)建立一个用户设施，使麻省理工学院以外的用户能够在大型设施中进行一些实验的早期阶段，节省宝贵的时间，并测试和开发新的中子光学组件。

Neutron scattering and spectroscopy are among the pre-eminent tools for studying the structure and dynamics of matter at the atomic and molecular scale. A powerful new neutron facility is currently under construction in Oak Ridge National Lab, the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), which is widely anticipated to revolutionize this field, and enable the US to regain leadership lost to Europe decades ago. The SNS will catalyze a new generation of instrument development, a new generation of neutron scientists, and therefore, a new generation of scientific research with neutrons. This proposal is aimed directly at developing novel instrumentation and educating the next generation of neutron scientists, both of which are now clear pre-requisites to realizing the scientific impact from the SNS investment.Neutron scattering and spectroscopy are among the pre-eminent tools for studying the structure and dynamics of matter at the atomic and molecular scale. A powerful new neutron facility is currently under construction in Oak Ridge National Lab, the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), which is widely anticipated to revolutionize this field, and enable the US to regain leadership lost to Europe decades ago. Our research will emphasize developing novel focusing, polarization, and imaging methodologies. The unique challenge to optics design posed by SNS is the broad range of available neutron energies. The combination of the novel neutron optics and the great improvement in the neutron flux from SNS, will enable construction of fundamentally new instruments, which were not practical before. Our research will improve the performance of currently planned instruments at SNS and lead to a new proposal for an imaging instrument at SNS within three years. We envision the following programs: (i) Education and training for students in basic concepts of neutron scattering; (ii) Enhanced production of new materials at MIT and elsewhere by allowing rapid evaluation by neutron scattering; (iii) Development of novel neutron optics components; (iv) Conceptual development of a new imaging instrument - a neutron microscope in absorption and phase-contrast, for future installation at SNS; and (v) Establishment of a user facility to allow users from outside of MIT to conduct early phases of some experiments saving on precious time at large facilities, and to test and develop new neutron optics components.