Small-Angle Neutron Scattering at the Pulsed Reactor IBR-2: Current Status and Prospects

Neutron diffraction studies on the small-angle neutron spectrometer YuMO (Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna), based on the IBR-2 pulsed reactor, have been reviewed. The main parameters of small-angle spectrometers, based on the time-of-flight technique, are considered. It is shown that the flux on sample is the key parameter of the spectrometers based on pulsed sources, which makes it possible (along with application of a multidetector system) to expand the dynamic range of scattering vector magnitudes. The history of the setting up of the first small-angle instrument based on pulsed sources is overviewed. The directions of development of small-angle spectrometers are shown. The results of YuMO studies in the fields of polymers, biology, materials science, and physical chemistry are briefly reviewed. The main strategies of development of small-angle neutron scattering on pulsed sources are considered. The possibilities of the small-angle instruments based on a synchrotron source and on a neutron pulsed source are compared.