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The first eight years of operation of the Cold Neutron Chopper Spectrometer (CNCS) at the Spallation Neutron Source in Oak Ridge is being reviewed. The instrument has been part of the facility user program since 2009, and more than 250 individual user experiments have been performed to date. CNCS is an extremely powerful and versatile instrument and offers leading edge performance in terms of beam intensity, energy resolution, and flexibility to trade one for another. Experiments are being routinely performed with the sample at extreme conditions: T~0.05K, p>=2GPa and B=8T can be achieved individually or in combination. In particular, CNCS is in a position to advance the state of the art with inelastic neutron scattering under pressure, and some of the recent accomplishments in this area will be presented in more detail.
The back-streaming white neutron source (Back-n) is a comprehensive neutron experimental platform for nuclear data measurement, nuclear astrophysics, neutron irradiation, detector calibration, etc. In order to meet a variety of experimental requirements, an attempt of various combinations of collimators has been made for the current collimation system. The basic parameters such as beam flux and beam spot characteristics under different beam operation modes have been studied. According to the change of the CSNS proton beam operation mode, the influence of different proton beam spots on the Back-n beam is also studied. The study finds that some beam modes with new collimator combinations can meet the experimental requirements and greatly shorten the experimental time. In addition, we have found a parameterized formula for the uniform beam spot of the high-power proton beam based on the beam monitor data, which provides a more accurate proton-beam source term for future white neutron beam physics and application researches.
The European Spallation Source (ESS) is intended to become the most powerful spallation neutron source in the world and the flagship of neutron science in the upcoming decades. The exceptionally high neutron flux will provide unique opportunities for scientific experiments, but also set high requirements for the detectors. One of the most challenging aspects is the rate capability and in particular the peak instantaneous rate capability, i.e. the number of neutrons hitting the detector per channel or cm$^2$ at the peak of the neutron pulse. The primary purpose of this paper is to estimate the incident rates that are anticipated for the BIFROST instrument planned for ESS, and also to demonstrate the use of powerful simulation tools for the correct interpretation of neutron transport in crystalline materials. A full simulation model of the instrument from source to detector position, implemented with the use of multiple simulation software packages is presented. For a single detector tube instantaneous incident rates with a maximum of 1.7 GHz for a Bragg peak from a single crystal, and 0.3 MHz for a vanadium sample are found. This paper also includes the first application of a new pyrolytic graphite model, and a comparison of different simulation tools to highlight their strengths and weaknesses.
The primary goal of the COHERENT collaboration is to measure and study coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) using the high-power, few-tens-of-MeV, pulsed source of neutrinos provided by the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The COHERENT collaboration reported the first detection of CEvNS [Akimov:2017ade] using a CsI[Na] detector. At present the collaboration is deploying four detector technologies: a CsI[Na] scintillating crystal, p-type point-contact germanium detectors, single-phase liquid argon, and NaI[Tl] crystals. All detectors are located in the neutron-quiet basement of the SNS target building at distances 20-30 m from the SNS neutrino source. The simultaneous measurement in all four COHERENT detector subsystems will test the $N^2$ dependence of the cross section and search for new physics. In addition, COHERENT is measuring neutrino-induced neutrons from charged- and neutral-current neutrino interactions on nuclei in shielding materials, which represent a non-negligible background for CEvNS as well as being of intrinsic interest. The Collaboration is planning as well to look for charged-current interactions of relevance to supernova and weak-interaction physics. This document describes concisely the COHERENT physics motivations, sensitivity, and next plans for measurements at the SNS to be accomplished on a few-year timescale.
The MAPS direct geometry time-of-flight chopper spectrometer at the ISIS pulsed neutron and muon source has been in operation since 1999 and its novel use of a large array of position-sensitive neutron detectors paved the way for a later generations of chopper spectrometers around the world. Almost two decades of experience of user operations on MAPS, together with lessons learned from the operation of new generation instruments, led to a decision to perform three parallel upgrades to the instrument. These were to replace the primary beamline collimation with supermirror neutron guides, to install a disk chopper, and to modify the geometry of the poisoning in the water moderator viewed by MAPS. Together these upgrades were expected to increase the neutron flux substantially, to allow more flexible use of repetition rate multiplication and to reduce some sources of background. Here we report the details of these upgrades, and compare the performance of the instrument before and after their installation, as well as to Monte Carlo simulations. These illustrate that the instrument is performing in line with, and in some respects in excess of, expectations. It is anticipated that the improvement in performance will have a significant impact on the capabilities of the instrument. A few examples of scientific commissioning are presented to illustrate some of the possibilities.
The COHERENT collaborations primary objective is to measure coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEvNS) using the unique, high-quality source of tens-of-MeV neutrinos provided by the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). In spite of its large cross section, the CEvNS process has never been observed, due to tiny energies of the resulting nuclear recoils which are out of reach for standard neutrino detectors. The measurement of CEvNS has now become feasible, thanks to the development of ultra-sensitive technology for rare decay and weakly-interacting massive particle (dark matter) searches. The CEvNS cross section is cleanly predicted in the standard model; hence its measurement provides a standard model test. It is relevant for supernova physics and supernova-neutrino detection, and enables validation of dark-matter detector background and detector-response models. In the long term, precision measurement of CEvNS will address questions of nuclear structure. COHERENT will deploy multiple detector technologies in a phased approach: a 14-kg CsI[Na] scintillating crystal, 15 kg of p-type point-contact germanium detectors, and 100 kg of liquid xenon in a two-phase time projection chamber. Following an extensive background measurement campaign, a location in the SNS basement has proven to be neutron-quiet and suitable for deployment of the COHERENT detector suite. The simultaneous deployment of the three COHERENT detector subsystems will test the $N^2$ dependence of the cross section and ensure an unambiguous discovery of CEvNS. This document describes concisely the COHERENT physics motivations, sensitivity and plans for measurements at the SNS to be accomplished on a four-year timescale.