Comparison of pinhole collimation and focusing optics for SANS

We examine quantitatively the instrumental factors that affect the theoretical performance and practical application of conventional pinhole collimation and focusing optics for small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements. We calculate the relative performance of pinhole collimation vis-à-vis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment, 2015-09, Vol.795, p.122-127
Main Authors: Glinka, C.J., Barker, J.G., Mildner, D.F.R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Focusing optics
Grazing incidence mirrors
Neutron scattering
Parasitic scattering
Pinhole collimation
Small-angle scattering
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Summary:We examine quantitatively the instrumental factors that affect the theoretical performance and practical application of conventional pinhole collimation and focusing optics for small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements. We calculate the relative performance of pinhole collimation vis-à-vis focusing by grazing incidence elliptical mirrors and compare the results with a recent ray-tracing simulation to show that the performance gains due to focusing found in the simulation arise largely from assuming a much larger sample size. We also compare measurements of the parasitic scattering from pinhole collimation with that from focusing cylindrical quartz mirrors, and a focusing refractive optic, to stress the importance of signal-to-noise as the true measure of performance for SANS instruments.
ISSN:0168-9002
1872-9576
DOI:10.1016/j.nima.2015.05.031