NEUTRON BEAM OPTICS

The performance of instruments using neutron beams can be significantly improved by optimizing all the neutron optical components that are responsible for the transport of the “good” neutrons from the source to the sample and to the detector. The principal interaction of neutrons with matter is of nuclear and magnetic origin. Therefore, most devices use these interactions for defining the phase space of the neutrons (energy, divergence), either by diffraction from bent crystal monochromators or by reflection from artificial multilayers at grazing incidence. In order to define the spin degrees of freedom, polarizing mirrors and monochromators, or absorbers (³He) are used. In this contribution we discuss neutron optical devices based on crystal monochromators and artificial multilayers.