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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Aberration corrected RF flipper for high resolution neutron spectroscopy

Project Summary Company: Adelphi Technology, Inc. Title: Aberration-corrected High Frequency RF Flipper for High-Resolution Neutron Spectroscopy PI: Dr. Jay Theodore Cremer Topic: C55-11 Enhancement of Scattering Instrumentation Technology Used at Pulsed and Continuous Sources Subtopic: d. Other Statement of the problem or situation that is being addressed. The quest to understand heterogeneous and hierarchical materials is gathering momentum, as described in a 2015 report by the Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee on Challenges at the Frontiers of Matter and Energy. For the past 40 years a technique called neutron spin echo (NSE) has been used to probe molecular motions in such non-crystalline materials over time scales from 10’s of picoseconds to 100’s of nanoseconds. The method has provided unique information about the dynamics of soft heterogeneous materials, including confirmation of the de Gennes model of polymer reptation and quantitative measurement of bending constants of biologically relevant lipid membranes. However, scientists continue to clamor for even higher resolution than NSE can provide. Biomaterials, polymers, glasses, and artificially nanostructured materials all manifest slow molecular motions because of weak or competing interactions between subunits and are amenable to study with neutrons, provided sufficiently long dynamical correlation times can be achieved. All these materials have important applications to advanced technologies so understanding them is key to technological progress. General statement of how this problem is being addressed. We will address the need for high-resolution neutron spectroscopy by using a technique called Neutron Resonance Spin Echo (NRSE). While similar to NSE in many respects, this method has the potential to exceed the NSE capabilities, if 2 technical hurdles can be overcome. The major impediments to successful high-resolution NRSE are the availability of two technologies: a very high frequency, efficient, radiofrequency (rf) flipper for neutrons and a method to correct certain magnetic aberrations. Based on previous STTR support and follow-on research we have developed a suitable rf flipper and we have invented a method to correct the magnetic aberrations. Both technologies need refinement to make them suitable for implementation at a neutron source such as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory nuclear reactor. In this proposal we seek to perfect the two technologies and to combine them into a single, operationally convenient device. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits In view of the increasing demand for the unique scientific information that high resolution neutron spectroscopy can provide, we expect several major instrumentation upgrades at both U.S. and foreign neutron centers will require make use of the NRSE method over the coming decade, creating a market for the devices we will design. These components will enhance scientists’ abilities to probe the time dependence of density fluctuations in a wide range of hierarchical and heterogeneous materials many of which are vital to existing and future technologies. Key Words – Polarized Neutrons, Neutron Spin Echo, Neutron Scattering, advanced materials. Summary for Members of Congress Neutron beams are a powerful materials-science probe that provide unique information about the structure of matter. The proposed devices will accelerate scientific discoveries required to achieve national goals for new technological materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Feasibility of an Active Interrogation System to Classify Waste with He-4 Neutron Spectroscopy

This work investigates a 4 He-detector active interrogation system that leverages neutron spectroscopy to classify nuclear waste streams. MCNP models tested the concept through the simulation of a D-D neutron generator, an array of 4 He detectors, and various waste compositions. The fast-neutron Differential Die-Away signature was augmented with a neutron-energy discrimination signature. This signature isolates induced fission neutrons, the energy of which is greater than that of the D-D monoenergetic spectrum. With the incorporation of this spectroscopic technique, the measurement time decreased by 3–9% (depending on the degree of neutron moderation and absorption presented by the sample), demonstrating how neutron spectroscopy can enhance active interrogation methods. The reduced measurement times would have significant financial and logistical benefits for facilities with large footprints of low-level waste production.

4He detectors↗
DOE OSTI2024

Proton discrimination in CLYC for fast neutron spectroscopy

The Cs 2 LiYCl 6 :Ce (CLYC) elpasolite scintillator is known for its response to fast and thermal neutrons along with good γ-ray energy resolution. While the 35 Cl(n,p) reaction has been identified as a potential means for CLYC-based fast neutron spectroscopy in the absence of time-of-flight (TOF), previous efforts to functionalize CLYC as a fast neutron spectrometer have been thwarted by the inability to isolate proton interactions from 6 Li(n,α) and 35 Cl(n,α) signals. This work introduces a new approach to particle discrimination in CLYC for fission spectrum neutrons using a multi-gate charge integration algorithm that provides excellent separation between protons and heavier charged particles. Neutron TOF data were collected using a 252 Cf source, an array of EJ-309 organic liquid scintillators, and a 6 Li-enriched CLYC scintillator outfitted with fast electronics. Modal waveforms were constructed corresponding to the different reaction channels, revealing significant differences in the pulse characteristics of protons and heavier charged particles at ultrafast, fast, and intermediate time scales. These findings informed the design of a pulse shape discrimination algorithm, which was validated using the TOF data. This study also proposes an iterative subtraction method to mitigate contributions from confounding reaction channels in proton and heavier charged particle pulse height spectra, opening the door for CLYC-based fast neutron and γ-ray spectroscopy while preserving sensitivity to thermal neutron capture signals.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

First 𝛽-Delayed Two-Neutron Spectroscopy of the 𝑟-Process Nucleus 134 In and Observation of the 𝑖 13/2 Single-Particle Neutron State in 133 Sn

This manuscript reports on the direct observation of a 𝛽-delayed two-neutron emission in a study of 134 In at the ISOLDE Decay Station using neutron spectroscopy. We also report on the first measurement in 𝛽 − decay of the long-sought 13/2 + excited state in 133 Sn, attributed to be the neutron single-particle 𝑖 13/2 orbital. The observation of sequential neutron emission is used to extract the relative population of the 𝑖 13/2 state, which was found to be much smaller than the predictions of the statistical model. The experiment was possible because of the innovative use of a neutron array with neutron discrimination and interaction tracking capabilities. This is the first study of the details of the two-neutron emission for a nucleus, which belongs to the 𝑟-process path. Understanding 𝛽-delayed two-neutron emission probabilities is essential to validate models used in astrophysical 𝑟-process nucleosynthesis calculations. Observing two-neutron emissions in 𝛽 − decay paves the way for new experiments to study energy and angular correlations for 𝛽-delayed multineutron emitters.

Beta decay↗
DOE OSTI2026

Low-energy measurement of the 25 Mg ⁢(𝛼,𝑛)⁢ 28 Si reaction via neutron spectroscopy

During core helium and carbon burning in massive stars, neutrons are produced mainly by the 22 Ne⁢ (𝛼,𝑛) ⁢25 Mg reaction. Some of these released neutrons are captured by heavy seed nuclei from previous nucleosynthesis events, resulting in the slow production of many of the elements between masses 60 ≤ 𝐴 ≤ 90 via the weak 𝑠 process. Determining the overall neutron flux available in this environment is one of the main challenges in modeling its contributions to heavy element production. Not only must the reaction rate be well defined for the primary neutron source, but the rates of neutron poison and recycling reactions must also be well determined. One critical reaction in the simulation network is 25 Mg ⁢(𝛼,𝑛) ⁢ 28 Si. This reaction, together with 25 Mg ⁢(𝑛,𝛾)⁢ 26 Mg and 25 Mg⁢ (𝛼,𝛾) ⁢ 29 Si, determine how 25 Mg nuclei affect the available neutron flux. Past attempts to measure the 25 Mg ⁢(𝛼,𝑛)⁢ 28 Si cross section using neutron moderator counters have been greatly hindered by lower-𝑍 background reactions. Here, in the present work, neutron spectroscopy with deuterated liquid scintillator detectors has been used. The experimental spectra have been analyzed by applying spectrum unfolding techniques to achieve improved background discrimination for the 25 Mg⁢ (𝛼,𝑛)⁢ 28 Si reaction at low energies, down to 𝐸 𝛼 = 1.75 MeV. The separation of the different background contributions gives further insight into the results of previous moderator counter measurements and the measurements lead to a revised and more reliable determination of the reaction rate.

hydrostatic stellar nucleosynthesis↗
DOE OSTI2025

YSO implantation detector for beta-delayed neutron spectroscopy

A segmented-scintillator-based implantation detector was developed to study the energy distribution of β-delayed neutrons emitted from exotic isotopes. The detector comprises a 34 × 34 YSO scintillator coupled to an 8 × 8 anode Position-Sensitive Photo-Multiplier Tube (PSPMT) via a tapered light guide. The detector was used at RIBF, RIKEN for time-of-flight-based neutron spectroscopy measurement in the 78Ni region. The detector provides the position and timing resolution necessary for ion-beta correlations and time of flight measurements. The detector provides a high ~80% beta-detection efficiency and a sub-nanosecond timing resolution. This contribution discusses the details of the design, operation, implementation, and analysis developed to obtain neutron time-of-flight spectrum and the analysis methods in the context of neutron-rich nuclei in the 78Ni region.

Implantation detector↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dynamics of the metastable st12 to diamond-cubic transition in germanium characterized by neutron spectroscopy

Data related to the manuscript "Dynamics of the metastable st12 to diamond-cubic transition in germanium characterized by neutron spectroscopy". It includes density of states results for st12-Ge, dc-Ge, amorphous-Ge, and the relaxation of st12-Ge to dc-Ge. It also includes diffractions results for the same relaxation experiment. The experiment was performed on the ARCS spectrometer at the SNS. See the Readme.md file in the data set for more information.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Tutorial: Extracting entanglement signatures from neutron spectroscopy

This tutorial is a pedagogical introduction to recent methods of computing quantum spin entanglement witnesses from spectroscopy, with a special focus on neutron scattering on quantum spin systems. We offer a brief introduction to the concepts and equations, define a data analysis protocol, and discuss the interpretation of three entanglement witnesses: one-tangle, two-tangle, and Quantum Fisher Information. We also discuss practical experimental considerations, and give three examples of extracting entanglement witnesses from experimental data: Copper Nitrate, KCuF 3 , and NiPS 3 .

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Diagnosing hot-spot symmetry in surrogate ignition experiments via secondary DT-neutron spectroscopy at the NIF

The directional energy spectrum of neutrons generated from the in-flight fusion reaction of 1-MeV tritons contains information about the hot-spot symmetry. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) fields Symmetry Capsule (Symcap) implosions, which have historically measured the symmetry of the radiation, drive by measuring the hot-spot shape via x-ray self-emission. Symcaps are used to tune the hot-spot symmetry for ignition experiments at the NIF. This work shows the relationship between directional secondary DT-n spectra and x-ray imaging data for a large database of Symcap implosions. A correlation is observed between the relative widths of the DT-n spectra measured with nTOFs and the shape measured with x-ray imaging. A Monte Carlo model, which computes the directional secondary DT-n spectrum, is used to interpret the results. A comparison of the x-ray and secondary DT-n data with the Monte Carlo model indicates that 56% of the variance between the two datasets is explained by a P2 asymmetry. More advanced simulations using HYDRA suggest that the unaccounted variance is due to P1 and P4 asymmetries present in the hot spot. The comparison of secondary DT-n data and x-ray imaging data to the modeling shows the DT-n data contain important information that supplements current P2 measurements and contain new information about the P1 asymmetry.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dynamics of the transition from the metastable tetragonal st12 to the diamond-cubic phase in germanium characterized by neutron spectroscopy

The complex phase diagram of germanium allows for exotic crystalline phases recoverable from high pressure. Among these, the tetragonal st12 phase is unusual as it shares characteristics with amorphous Ge resulting in desirable band-gap characteristics. Here, we leverage a high neutron flux and large volume pressure capabilities to characterize st12-Ge and its dynamics upon conversion to diamond-cubic Ge with inelastic neutron scattering. Here, we exploit the characteristics of time-of-flight neutron scattering for time-resolved investigations. This analysis may suggest the existence of a transient disordered state upon annealing befitting the known structural relationship between st12-Ge and amorphous Ge, a relationship that can open the potential for band-gap tuning.

Elemental semiconductors↗
DOE OSTI2024

First β -delayed neutron spectroscopy of 24 O

The β decay of 24 O was investigated at NSCL/MSU using a combination of neutron and γ-ray spectroscopy. For the first time, the β-delayed neutron energy spectrum of 24 O was measured, revealing three intensely populated, isolated neutron-unbound states in 24 F. This allowed for the extraction of the decay strength in 24 F up to 6.2 MeV. A comprehensive comparison of the experimental results with various nuclear theories, ranging from the empirical shell model to the most advanced ab initio calculations, was conducted. While most theoretical predictions align with the experimental data for low-lying states, discrepancies arise at higher excitation energies. Finally, in the transition from 24 O to 24 F, shell model calculations using the empirical USDB interaction predicted the structure of both nuclei without invoking the need for a stronger proton-neutron tensor force, which was postulated for the neighboring isotone 25 F.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Neutron spectroscopy of plutonium using a handheld detection system

The ability to distinguish multiple forms of plutonium from one another, such as oxide and metal, is paramount in areas of nuclear nonproliferation and international safeguards. In its metal form, plutonium can be readily used in a nuclear weapon, while oxide forms are associated with nuclear reactor fuel. Oxide-based plutonium forms emit neutrons with an energy spectrum that is significantly different from the fission neutrons that are emitted from plutonium metal. Organic scintillation detectors output pulses that are proportional to the neutron energy deposited, and therefore present a means of distinguishing these plutonium forms based on their energy spectra. In this work, metal and oxide forms of plutonium were measured using a handheld detection system based on an organic glass scintillator. Monte Carlo modeling of these experiments was performed to provide insight into the origin of the features in the observed light output spectra. Through analysis of multiple regions of these spectra, in a matter of minutes we were able to unambiguously discriminate oxide and metal plutonium forms from one another and from a plutonium-beryllium neutron source, which was considered for comparison because these sources are commonly used in industrial applications. The ability to discriminate weapons-usable material from nuclear reactor fuel has applications in nuclear treaty verification and safeguards.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2025

Neutron Spectroscopy Study on Crystalline Electric Field Excitations in NdB 4

Herein, the f-electron states of NdB 4 were determined by observing crystalline electric field (CEF) excitations in inelastic neutron scattering experiments. The resulting CEF excitation energies were 2.8, 12.4, 17.2, and 25.4 meV. The f-electron states were simply described by one of the J-multiplets |±J z $\rangle$ with negligibly small mixing. The ground state was the pseudoquartet comprising the ground doublet dominated by |±$\frac{5}{2}$$\rangle$ and the first excited doublet dominated by |±$\frac{7}{2}$$\rangle$ at 2.8 meV, consistent with magnetic specific heat and entropy reported in a previous study. In conclusion, the simple f-electron states in NdB 4 were the consequence of the strong uniaxial and in-plane isotropic CEF potential due to the local structure of Nd 3+ with point symmetry C 2v .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

β -delayed neutron spectroscopy of Co 70 , 72 ground-state and isomeric-state decays

Here, the β-decaying states of 70,72 Co were studied at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory using the VANDLE neutron time-of-flight array. The (6 - ,7 - )⁢β-decaying state in 70 Co is near-spherical with a lifetime of 113 ± 7 ms, and the low-spin (1 + ,2 + )⁢β-decaying state is postulated to be the prolate deformed ground state with a lifetime of 508 ± 7 ms. Both decay predominantly to the bound states of 70 Ni. For the first time neutron-emissions from neutron unbound states from both the (6 - ,7 - ) and (1 + ,2 + )⁢β decays were measured. Even with the low statistics data, we were able to disentangle the neutron emission from both decays, which enabled a determination of β-decay strength above the neutron separation energy of 70 Ni. Neutron emission probabilities were measured to be 7.1 ± 1.5% and 9.4 ± 1.7%, respectively, for the (6 - ,7 - ) and (1 + ,2 + ) decays. The decay pattern of the 70 Co is driven by neutron f 5/2 to proton f 7/2 Gamow-Teller transformation. The observed population of neutron unbound states is attributed to the conversion of p 1/2 and p 3/2 neutrons to p 3/2 and p 1/2 protons excited across the Z = 28 closed shell.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Neutron spin echo spectroscopy

Neutron spin echo (NSE) spectroscopy is a powerful technique used to probe the internal dynamics and diffusion processes within matter, allowing researchers to quantify how materials respond to changes in external conditions. To fully understand the bulk properties of a material, it is often crucial to investigate dynamic processes occurring on nanometre length scales and nanosecond timescales. NSE spectroscopy provides an exceptional capability to measure such dynamics across a broad spectrum of condensed matter systems, ranging from proteins and quantum magnets to catalysts. In this Primer, we present an overview of NSE spectroscopy, highlighting the instruments used, methods of data collection and representative applications in both soft-matter and hard-matter sciences.

Czakkel, Orsolya [Institut Max von Laue-Paul Lange↗
DOE OSTI2024

Linking NH$^+_4$ motion to magnetism in molecular multiferroic (NH 4 ) 2 ⁢[FeCl 5 ⁢(H 2 ⁢O)]: A neutron vibrational spectroscopy study

Here, we present a neutron vibrational spectroscopy study to investigate the influence of NH$^+_4$ motion on the magnetism in [(NH 4 ) 1–x K x ] 2 ⁢[FeCl 5 ⁢(H 2 ⁢O)]. The parent compounds, (NH 4 ) 2 ⁢[FeCl 5 ⁢(H 2 ⁢O)] (x = 0) and K 2 ⁡[FeCl 5 ⁢(H 2 ⁢O)]⁢(x = 1) are isostructural at room temperature, yet displaying drastically different magnetic and multiferroic behavior. K 2 ⁡[FeCl 5 ⁢(H 2 ⁢O)] is nonmultiferroic with type-A collinear antiferromagnetic structure below T N ≈ 14.06 K, whereas (NH 4 ) 2 ⁢[FeCl 5 ⁢(H 2 ⁢O)] is a type-II multiferroic with incommensurate cycloidal spin structure below T FE ≈ 6.8 K. A recent study of the dielectric, structure, and magnetic properties in the mixed [(NH 4 ) 1–x ⁢K x ] 2 ⁢[FeCl 5 ⁢(H 2 ⁢O)] shows that a small amount of potassium substitution to replace NH$^+_4$ transforms the spin structure from incommensurate cycloidal (x ≤ 0.06) into commensurate collinear antiferromagnetic (x ≥ 0.15), indicating NH$^+_4$ is essential to the emergent phenomena observed in this molecular multiferroic compound. Our vibrational spectroscopy study reveals that NH$^+_4$ libration and torsion motion exhibit substantial temperature dependence at low temperatures. The intensity of NH$^+_4$ libration and torsion modes increases slightly at 5 K in comparison with data at 25 K behaving like a magnon, indicating that they are coupled to the magnetism in (NH 4 ) 2 ⁢[FeCl 5 ⁢(H 2 ⁢O)]. Comparing data of x=0, 0.06, 0.09, and 0.15 samples further illustrates that the strength of the increased signal in NH$^+_4$ libration mode is very sensitive to potassium concentration. The signal diminishes quickly with increasing potassium concentration and vanishes in the x = 0.15 sample corresponding to the magnetic structure change for x ≥ 0.15. The results directly link the anomalous behavior in NH$^+_4$ libration motion to the magnetism in [(NH 4 ) 1–x ⁢K x ] 2 ⁢[FeCl 5 ⁢(H 2 ⁢O)], providing new insights into the crucial role NH$^+_4$ plays in the coupled phenomena in (NH 4 ) 2 ⁢[FeCl 5 ⁢(H 2 ⁢O)]. The unique information opens a new door to go through in searching for new multifunctional materials by incorporation of NH 4 via a material-by-design approach.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2026

Passive Confirmation of the Presence Of High-Explosive Material Via Neutron Transmission Spectroscopy

The goal of this project was to explore a novel approach for identifying presence and potential types of high explosives (HE) in treaty-controlled items with passive neutron sources by using passive neutron transmission spectroscopy. We predominantly look to measure relative elemental abundance of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Nitrogen (CHON) since most relevant materials are certain mix of these elements, as shown in Table 1. Previously, most studies exploring potential identification of CHON elemental content of targets in the vicinity of passive neutron source were focused solely on gamma spectroscopy using high resolution gamma detectors. Using neutron transmission spectroscopy with pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) capable organic scintillators is not only a novel idea in of itself, but arguably necessary for accurate identification of the CHON elemental content of an interrogated target. While high resolution gamma spectroscopy in principle can determine a presence of hydrogen and nitrogen, it is effectively blind to a quantitatively measuring areal densities of C, O. The initially proposed approach, described in detail in the project proposal, was to leverage previous Monte Carlo study on neutron transmission spectroscopy using slab shaped target interrogated with well-collimated (“pencil”) neutron beam. In this study, a simulated test CO 2 target was interrogated by a pencil neutron beam and transmitted neutron spectra were measured using PSD capable organic scintillator using MLEM based unfolding technique. To establish relative elemental content of carbon and oxygen, the unfolded neutron spectrum was fit with a parametrized combination of their respective elemental spectral templates. The individual spectral template was calculated by convoluting ENDF neutron crosssection with the known resolution of the PSD detector used in the study. This approach in the studied configuration successfully quantitatively established relative elemental composition of carbon and oxygen.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Neutron Scattering Data, Mineral Incubation Experiment, Walker Branch Watershed, TN (2020 - 2021)

Iron (Fe) (oxyhydr)oxides are well-recognized contributors to soil carbon (C) storage, but the effects of manganese (Mn) oxides on carbon storage and transformation are relatively unexplored. Here, the relative capacities of Fe and Mn oxides to bind and stabilize soil organic C were directly compared using an in-situ incubation experiment. Quartz sands coated with either poorly crystalline Mn(III/IV) oxides or Fe(III) oxides, or left uncoated, were buried in a temperate forest soil for up to one year. This data package contains processed data outputs of carbon near edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (C NEXAFS), iron and manganese x-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy (XANES), and small angle neutron scattering (SANS) data collected for initial oxide-coated and uncoated quartz sands and for those buried in the temperate forest soil for 365 days.

Energy (eV)↗