Spatz: the time-of-flight neutron reflectometer with vertical sample geometry at the OPAL research reactor

Anton P Le Brun; Tzu-Yen Huang; Stewart Pullen; Andrew R J Nelson; James Spedding; Stephen A Holt

doi:10.1107/S160057672201086X

Spatz: the time-of-flight neutron reflectometer with vertical sample geometry at the OPAL research reactor

J Appl Crystallogr. 2023 Feb 1;56(Pt 1):18-25. doi: 10.1107/S160057672201086X.

Authors

Anton P Le Brun¹, Tzu-Yen Huang^{1

2}, Stewart Pullen¹, Andrew R J Nelson¹, James Spedding¹, Stephen A Holt¹

Affiliations

¹ Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, New Illawarra Road, Lucas Heights, NSW 2234, Australia.
² National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, 101 Hsin-Ann Road, Hsinchu Science Park, Hsinchu, 30076, Taiwan.

Abstract

The Spatz neutron beam instrument is the second time-of-flight neutron reflectometer to be installed at the OPAL research reactor. The instrument was formerly the V18 BioRef reflectometer at the BER-II reactor in Berlin and was transferred to Australia in 2016. Subsequently the instrument was re-installed in the neutron guide hall of the OPAL reactor at the end position of the CG2B cold-neutron guide and recommissioned. The instrument performance has not been compromised by the move, with reflectivity achieved down to 10^-7 and good counting statistics within a reasonable time frame using a wavelength range of 2-20 Å. Several different samples at the solid-air interface and the solid-liquid interface have been measured to demonstrate the instrument's capabilities.

Keywords: instrument commissioning; interfaces; neutron reflectometry; surfaces; time of flight.

Grants and funding

Spatz operations are supported by the National Characterization Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), an Australian Government initiative.