New detector for studying the structure of matter
What is it about?
This article shows the development of a scintillator-based neutron detector for neutron diffraction. The detector is developed at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source. The new design consists of a stack of scintillators and wavelength-shifting fibers, leading to a significant increase in detector performance. Details of how we achieved such large gains are described in this work. These detectors are now being used on the single-crystal neutron diffractometer at ISIS (SXD) .
Why is it important?
This is an important upgrade to improve and extend the research capabilities of neutron diffractometers at ISIS to address new scientific areas, measure smaller samples, and characterise structures of increasing complexity. Thanks to these detector, it is possible to study materials 50 times smaller than previously possible with this instrument. On top of this, the same information can be obtained four times quicker!