Rice University
Material Research with Accelerator-Based Neutron Sources
Thom Mason, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
This course will introduce neutron scattering as a probe of the structure and dynamics of materials. The types of neutrons sources and their relative merits will be discussed. The principles of neutron scattering instrumentation and resolution will be covered with particular emphasis on time-of-flight instrumentation employed at pulsed spallation neutron sources. Spallation source target historical development, target design, and neutronic optimization will be covered along with some discussion of the source requirements impacts on accelerator performance. Prerequisites: Undergraduate-level Quantum Mechanics. Some familiarity with Condensed Matter Physics (also undergraduate-level) would be helpful but is not assumed.