Small-angle neutron polarimetry apparatus (SANPA): Development at the NIST Center for Neutron Research

Spherical neutron polarimetry directly measures the rotation of the neutron polarization after scattering from materials with magnetic structure. It is an under utilized measurement technique that is capable of measuring all nine elements of the polarization tensor of a material. In this article, we describe our new cryogen-free small-angle neutron polarimetry apparatus and infrastructure at the NIST Center for Neutron Research. The resulting apparatus is capable of continuous operation and is designed for measurements at low temperatures (4–8 K) using niobium Meissner shielding and mu-metal shielding to produce a zero-field (≤1 μT) cooling sample environment.Spherical neutron polarimetry directly measures the rotation of the neutron polarization after scattering from materials with magnetic structure. It is an under utilized measurement technique that is capable of measuring all nine elements of the polarization tensor of a material. In this article, we describe our new cryogen-free small-angle neutron polarimetry apparatus and infrastructure at the NIST Center for Neutron Research. The resulting apparatus is capable of continuous operation and is designed for measurements at low temperatures (4–8 K) using niobium Meissner shielding and mu-metal shielding to produce a zero-field (≤1 μT) cooling sample environment.