Neutron Reflectometry as Optical Imaging

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Hamilton, W.A. | Hayter, John B. | Smith, G.S.

Affiliations: Solid State Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 | Manuel Lujan, Jr. Neutron Scattering Center, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545

Abstract: In this paper we show how a specularly reflecting mirror sample at grazing incidence may be treated as a simple imaging element, akin to a slit camera. An analysis of the imaging properties leads to a new and efficient means of measuring neutron reflectivity. The resolution of a reflectivity curve obtained by this scheme depends only on the geometry of the sample-to-detector arrangement, and is largely independent of incident beam collimation. In the absence of significant off-specular scattering, this method of data reduction allows a neutron reflectometer equipped with a linear position sensitive detector to use the higher intensity of a loosely collimated beam while achieving excellent resolution. To illustrate the principle, we present raw and reduced reflection data taken on the first runs of the newly commissioned neutron reflectometer at the High-Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

DOI: 10.1080/10238169408200183

Journal: Journal of Neutron Research, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 1-19, 1994