Decoupling of a neutron interferometer from temperature gradients
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Date
2016-12-16
Authors
Saggu, Parminder
Mineeva, Taisiya
Arif, Muhammad
Cory, David G.
Haun, Robert
Heacock, Benjamin
Huber, Michael G.
Li, Ke
Nsofini, Joachim
Sarenac, Dusan
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AIP Publishing
Abstract
Neutron interferometry enables precision measurements that are typically operated within elaborate, multi-layered facilities which provide substantial shielding from environmental noise. These facilities are necessary to maintain the coherence requirements in a perfect crystal neutron interferometer which is extremely sensitive to local environmental conditions such as temperature gradients across the interferometer, external vibrations, and acoustic waves. The ease of operation and breadth of applications of perfect crystal neutron interferometry would greatly benefit from a mode of operation which relaxes these stringent isolation requirements. Here, the INDEX Collaboration and National Institute of Standards and Technology demonstrates the functionality of a neutron interferometer in vacuum and characterize the use of a compact vacuum chamber enclosure as a means to isolate the interferometer from spatial temperature gradients and time-dependent temperature fluctuations. The vacuum chamber is found to have no depreciable effect on the performance of the interferometer (contrast) while improving system stability, thereby showing that it is feasible to replace large temperature isolation and control systems with a compact vacuum enclosure for perfect crystal neutron interferometry.
Description
This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. The following article appeared in Saggu, P., Mineeva, T., Arif, M., Cory, D. G., Haun, R., Heacock, B., … Pushin, D. A. (2016). Decoupling of a neutron interferometer from temperature gradients. Review of Scientific Instruments, 87(12), 123507. doi:10.1063/1.4971851 and may be found at https://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4971851
Keywords
acoustic waves, resistors, interferometry, heating elements, environmental noise, vacuum apparatus, vacuum systems, ecology, vibration isolators