A dedicated target station for neutron scattering under very high pulsed magnetic fields: Cold source optimization
Akhyani M. Konik P. Shapiro D. Ioffe A. Zanini L. Rønnow H.M.
June 2026Elsevier B.V.
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
2026#1086
Neutron scattering in very high pulsed magnetic fields (above 40 T) provides unique insights into the magnetic structure of materials. However, these experiments are often limited by low neutron statistics, primarily due to the mismatch between the high frequency of neutron pulses (14–60 Hz) and the low frequency of magnetic field pulses (approximately one every 5–30 min). To overcome this limitation, a dedicated target station specifically optimized for such high pulsed field experiments is recently proposed (Akhyani et al., 2024). In this concept, unlike conventional high-power neutron sources, the source is intended to serve only one single instrument. A key feature is the significantly reduced proton pulse frequency, which enables parallel operation using an existing high-power proton accelerator – such as the one at the European Spallation Source (ESS) – without disrupting other experiments. The lower average thermal and radiation load on the target, made possible by the infrequent proton pulses, allows the neutron guides to be positioned closer to the source and therefore smaller phase space volumes on the moderator. The present work focuses on the optimization of the Target–Moderator–Reflector (TMR) system tailored to the needs of the selected instrument. The source design is evaluated by Monte Carlo (PHITS) simulations, with brightness as the Figure-of-Merit. The gains of minimum 2.2 in a 1 cm2 area with 1 ° divergence are achieved with optimization of cold moderator cross-sectional geometry. More improvements may be achieved through further optimization of TMR assembly. This study supports the feasibility of constructing a dedicated target station for high pulsed magnetic field applications and highlights its potential to significantly advance experimental capabilities in this area.
Brightify , Brightness , Neutron scattering , Neutron source , Pulsed magnet , TMR , Very high magnetic field
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Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS), Lichtenbergstr. 1, Garching, 85748, Germany
Laboratory for Quantum Magnetism, Institute of Physics, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 3, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
Budapest Neutron Centre, HUN-REN Centre for Energy Research, Konkoly-Thege Miklós út 29-33, Budapest, 1121, Hungary
Department of Physics and Technology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Al-Farabi Ave. 71, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
Technical University of Denmark, Frederiksborgvej 399, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark
European Spallation Source ERIC, Partikelgatan 2, Lund, 22484, Sweden
Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS)
Laboratory for Quantum Magnetism
Budapest Neutron Centre
Department of Physics and Technology
Technical University of Denmark
European Spallation Source ERIC
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