Background
Neutron beams are used in a variety of disciplines from materials science to chemistry, physics and engineering, and are complementary to X-rays to provide information about materials structure, dynamic behavior and magnetic properties.
Neutron instruments are tools that channel and modify the neutron beams so that they can be used for different purposes. Examples of neutron instruments include imaging setups, diffractometers, spectrometers, reflectometers and small angle scatterers as well as dedicated instruments for nuclear and fundamental physics. These instruments are built from physical components such as guides, collimators and jaws that help to transport and focus the neutron beam on a chosen sample. The whole instrument needs to be encased in a radiation shield to protect both the instrumentation and the user.
There are about 250 neutron instruments in Europe. These are generally placed at large facilities such as ILL (France), PSI (Switzerland), and ISIS (UK). The currently-under-construction ESS (Sweden) is expected to become the most powerful accelerator-based neutron source in the world.
Additionally, smaller neutron sources such as the compact accelerator-based neutron sources (CANS) or the compact and portable neutron sources based on radioactive isotopic reactions are also getting traction as alternative sources for neutron scattering experiments and other neutron related treatments, such as activation analysis and isotope production.
Because of their complexity, both neutron sources and neutron instruments need to be carefully designed and tested before construction; their components and shielding elements optimized.
There are a number of modeling tools available for the design and optimization of neutron instruments and their neutron sources. They also allow testing and planning of experiments, including the understanding of the results and the analysis of the produced data. The most common tools are Monte Carlo (MC) based (MCNP, PHITS, FLUKA) and ray tracing compilers (MCSTAS, VITESS).
Your Tasks
- Learn to use at least one MC and one ray tracing simulation tool.
- Simulate a neutron source (example: a portable deuterium-tritium based 14 MeV neutron source or a compact accelerator-based neutron source).
- Design and run a neutron instrument including its shielding (example: radiography station).
- Develop and test realistic experiments with the simulated neutron source and neutron instrument.
What you’ll gain
- Strong knowledge of neutron physics and materials science as well as radiation safety protocols.
- State of the art modeling expertise relevant to a variety of disciplines for real-world applications.
Who is this for?
This project is ideal for students who want to combine physics, chemistry and/or materials science with modeling and radiation safety. If you are curious about large scientific instruments and the use of neutrons for science and want to be ready for the coming ESS, this thesis will give you both the scientific foundation and the expertise in the tools to do so.
Location
Institute for Energy Technology, Tracer Technology department.
Kontaktperson
Dep. Head Georgios Kalantzopoulos