Compact and versatile neutron imaging detector with sub-4μm spatial resolution based on a single-crystal thin-film scintillator
Alessandro Tengattini, Nikolay Kardjilov, Lukas Helfen, Paul-Antoine Douissard, Nicolas Lenoir, Henning Markötter, Andrè Hilger, Tobias Arlt, Melanie Paulisch, Thomas Turek, Ingo Manke
Abstract
A large and increasing number of scientific domains pushes for high neutron imaging resolution achieved in reasonable times. Here we present the principle, design and performance of a detector based on infinity corrected optics combined with a crystalline Gd 3 Ga 5 O 12 : Eu scintillator, which provides an isotropic sub-4 µm true resolution. The exposure times are only of a few minutes per image. This is made possible also by the uniquely intense cold neutron flux available at the imaging beamline NeXT-Grenoble. These comparatively rapid acquisitions are compatible with multiple high quality tomographic acquisitions, opening new venues for in-operando testing, as briefly exemplified here.