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Funama F, Wolf CM, Weigandt K, Shen J, Parnell SR, Li F. Spin echo small-angle neutron scattering using superconducting magnetic Wollaston prisms. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2024; 95:073709. [PMID: 39016702 DOI: 10.1063/5.0217884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
We show the implementation of superconducting magnetic Wollaston prisms for spin echo small-angle neutron scattering. Two calibration methods for the spin echo length are presented: one utilizing spin echo modulated small-angle neutron scattering and the other based on the neutron refraction by quartz wedge crystals. Our experimental results with polystyrene nano-particle colloids showcase the system's efficacy in measuring both dilute and concentrated colloidal systems. Additionally, investigations into the pore diameter and pitch of a nano-porous alumina membrane demonstrate its capability in analyzing nano-porous materials. Furthermore, we discuss potential optimizations to further extend the accessible spin echo length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumiaki Funama
- Neutron Technologies Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, USA
| | - Caitlyn M Wolf
- NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
| | - Katie Weigandt
- NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
| | - Jiazhou Shen
- Department of Physics, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA
- Indiana University Center for the Exploration of Energy and Matter, Bloomington, Indiana 47408, USA
- Indiana University Quantum Science and Engineering Center, Bloomington, Indiana 47408, USA
| | - Steven R Parnell
- ISIS, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 15, 2629JB Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Fankang Li
- Neutron Technologies Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, USA
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Funama F, Chong SA, Loyd M, Gofron KJ, Zhang Y, Kuhn SJ, Zhang C, Fitzsimmons MR, Khaplanov A, Vacaliuc B, Crow L, Li F. Scintillator-based Timepix3 detector for neutron spin-echo techniques using intensity modulation. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2024; 95:033304. [PMID: 38501936 DOI: 10.1063/5.0189920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
A scintillator-based Timepix3 (TPX3) detector was developed to resolve the high-frequency modulation of a neutron beam in both spatial and temporal domains, as required for neutron spin-echo experiments. In this system, light from a scintillator is manipulated with an optical lens and is intensified using an image intensifier, making it detectable with the TPX3 chip. Two different scintillators, namely, 6LiF:ZnS(Ag) and 6LiI:Eu, were investigated to achieve the high resolution needed for spin-echo modulated small-angle neutron scattering (SEMSANS) and modulation of intensity with zero effort (MIEZE). The methodology for conducting event-mode analysis is described, including the optimization of clustering parameters for both scintillators. The detector with both scintillators was characterized with respect to detection efficiency, spatial resolution, count rate, uniformity, and γ-sensitivity. The 6LiF:ZnS(Ag) scintillator-based detector achieved a spatial resolution of 200 μm and a count rate capability of 1.1 × 105 cps, while the 6LiI:Eu scintillator-based detector demonstrated a spatial resolution of 250 μm and a count rate capability exceeding 2.9 × 105 cps. Furthermore, high-frequency intensity modulations in both spatial and temporal domains were successfully observed, confirming the suitability of this detector for SEMSANS and MIEZE techniques, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumiaki Funama
- Neutron Technologies Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, USA
| | - Su-Ann Chong
- Neutron Technologies Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, USA
| | - Matthew Loyd
- Neutron Technologies Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, USA
| | - Kazimierz J Gofron
- Neutron Technologies Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, USA
| | - Yuxuan Zhang
- Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, USA
| | - Stephen J Kuhn
- Neutron Technologies Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, USA
| | - Chen Zhang
- Computer Science and Mathematics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, USA
| | - Michael R Fitzsimmons
- Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
| | - Anton Khaplanov
- Second Target Station, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, USA
| | - Bogdan Vacaliuc
- Neutron Technologies Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, USA
| | - Lowell Crow
- Neutron Technologies Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, USA
| | - Fankang Li
- Neutron Technologies Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, USA
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Tang N, Liyanage WLNC, Montoya SA, Patel S, Quigley LJ, Grutter AJ, Fitzsimmons MR, Sinha S, Borchers JA, Fullerton EE, DeBeer-Schmitt L, Gilbert DA. Skyrmion-Excited Spin-Wave Fractal Networks. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2300416. [PMID: 37139924 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202300416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Magnetic skyrmions exhibit unique, technologically relevant pseudo-particle behaviors which arise from their topological protection, including well-defined, 3D dynamic modes that occur at microwave frequencies. During dynamic excitation, spin waves are ejected into the interstitial regions between skyrmions, creating the magnetic equivalent of a turbulent sea. However, since the spin waves in these systems have a well-defined length scale, and the skyrmions are on an ordered lattice, ordered structures from spin-wave interference can precipitate from the chaos. This work uses small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) to capture the dynamics in hybrid skyrmions and investigate the spin-wave structure. Performing simultaneous ferromagnetic resonance and SANS, the diffraction pattern shows a large increase in low-angle scattering intensity, which is present only in the resonance condition. This scattering pattern is best fit using a mass fractal model, which suggests the spin waves form a long-range fractal network. The fractal structure is constructed of fundamental units with a size that encodes the spin-wave emissions and are constrained by the skyrmion lattice. These results offer critical insights into the nanoscale dynamics of skyrmions, identify a new dynamic spin-wave fractal structure, and demonstrate SANS as a unique tool to probe high-speed dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Tang
- Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - W L N C Liyanage
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Sergio A Montoya
- Center for Memory and Recording Research, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, CA, 92152, USA
| | - Sheena Patel
- Center for Memory and Recording Research, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Physics Department, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Lizabeth J Quigley
- Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Alexander J Grutter
- NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USA
| | - Michael R Fitzsimmons
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
- Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Sunil Sinha
- Physics Department, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Julie A Borchers
- NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USA
| | - Eric E Fullerton
- Center for Memory and Recording Research, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Lisa DeBeer-Schmitt
- Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Dustin A Gilbert
- Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
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Bouwman WG, Knudsen EB, Udby L, Willendrup P. Simulations of foil-based spin-echo (modulated) small-angle neutron scattering with a sample using McStas. J Appl Crystallogr 2021; 54:195-202. [PMID: 33833647 PMCID: PMC7941320 DOI: 10.1107/s1600576720015496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
For the further development of spin-echo techniques to label elastic scattering it is necessary to perform simulations of the Larmor precession of neutron spins in a magnetic field. The details of some of these techniques as implemented at the reactor in Delft are simulated. First, the workings of the magnetized foil flipper are simulated. A full virtual spin-echo small-angle neutron scattering instrument is built and tested without and with a realistic scattering sample. It is essential for these simulations to have a simulated sample that also describes the transmitted beam of unscattered neutrons, which usually is not implemented for the simulation of conventional small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instruments. Finally, the workings of a spin-echo modulated small-angle neutron scattering (SEMSANS) instrument are simulated. The simulations are in good agreement with theory and experiments. This setup can be extended to include realistic magnetic field distributions to fully predict the features of future Larmor labelling elastic-scattering instruments. Configurations can now be simulated for more complicated combinations of SANS with SEMSANS.
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Schmitt J, Zeeuw JJ, Plomp J, Bouwman WG, Washington AL, Dalgliesh RM, Duif CP, Thijs MA, Li F, Pynn R, Parnell SR, Edler KJ. Mesoporous Silica Formation Mechanisms Probed Using Combined Spin-Echo Modulated Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SEMSANS) and Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS). ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:28461-28473. [PMID: 32330001 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c03287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The initial formation stages of surfactant-templated silica thin films which grow at the air-water interface were studied using combined spin-echo modulated small-angle neutron scattering (SEMSANS) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The films are formed from either a cationic surfactant or nonionic surfactant (C16EO8) in a dilute acidic solution by the addition of tetramethoxysilane. Previous work has suggested a two stage formation mechanism with mesostructured particle formation in the bulk solution driving film formation at the solution surface. From the SEMSANS data, it is possible to pinpoint accurately the time associated with the formation of large particles in solution that go on to form the film and to show their emergence is concomitant with the appearance of Bragg peaks in the SANS pattern, associated with the two-dimensional hexagonal order. The combination of SANS and SEMSANS allows a complete depiction of the steps of the synthesis that occur in the subphase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Schmitt
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, BA2 7AY, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Joost Zeeuw
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, BA2 7AY, Bath, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 15, 2629JB Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Plomp
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 15, 2629JB Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Wim G Bouwman
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 15, 2629JB Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Adam L Washington
- ISIS Neutron and Muon Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - Robert M Dalgliesh
- ISIS Neutron and Muon Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - Chris P Duif
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 15, 2629JB Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Michel A Thijs
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 15, 2629JB Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Fankang Li
- Neutron Technologies Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, United States
| | - Roger Pynn
- Neutron Technologies Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, United States
- Centre for Exploration of Energy and Matter, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47408, United States
| | - Steven R Parnell
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 15, 2629JB Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Karen J Edler
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, BA2 7AY, Bath, United Kingdom
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