Novel neutron guides

Abstract

For almost three decades neutron guides have been built as multipurpose installations: essentially straight and with a rectangular cross section. At that time instruments on guides were planned and designed from the guide exit to the detectors. With the development of large area supermirror coating in the 1990s, the availability and standardization of Monte-Carlo neutron ray-tracing packages and the entering of new companies in the previously monopolistic market the situation has changed remarkably. Nowadays instruments are simulated, designed and built as a whole entity, including all parts from the source to the detectors, outperforming existing conventional instruments by an order of magnitude as far as the neutron optics is concerned. We will present some examples of advanced supermirror neutron guides at instruments which are being built or are planned for the future as well as some other concepts which have not yet been realized.