Unveiling contextual realities by microscopically entangling a neutron

The development of qualitatively new measurement capabilities is often a prerequisite for critical scientific and technological advances. Here we introduce an unconventional quantum probe, an entangled neutron beam, where individual neutrons can be entangled in spin, trajectory and energy. The spatial separation of trajectories from...

Search for exotic spin-dependent couplings of the neutron with matter using spin-echo based neutron interferometry

Various theories beyond the Standard Model predict new particles with masses in the sub-eV range with very weak couplings to ordinary matter which can possess spin-dependent couplings to electrons and nucleons. We report null results of a search for possible exotic spin-dependent couplings of the neutron which could be induced by the exchange...

Time of flight modulation of intensity by zero effort on Larmor

A time-of-flight modulation of intensity by zero effort spectrometer mode has been developed for the Larmor instrument at the ISIS pulsed neutron source. The instrument utilizes resonant spin flippers that employ electromagnets with pole shoes, allowing the flippers to operate at frequencies up to 3 MHz. Tests were conducted at modulation...

RF neutron spin flippers in time of flight Spin-Echo Resolved Grazing Incidence Scattering (SERGIS)

RF coils have been routinely used for Larmor labelling on the Offspec instrument at ISIS. These coils encode directional information via the neutron polarization using a series of parallelogram-shaped pole shoes which can be tuned to different angles with an RF gradient flipper in the centre of each magnet. We report on measurements of the...

Measurement of gravitation-induced quantum interference for neutrons in a spin-echo spectrometer

With a neutron spin-echo reflectometer (OffSpec at ISIS, UK) it is possible to measure the gravitation-induced quantum phase difference between the two spin states of the neutron wave function in a magnetic field. In the small-angle approximation, this phase depends linearly on the inclination angle of the neutron beam with respect to the...

Larmor neutron diffraction with one precession arm

A new variant of Larmor neutron diffraction, applying only a single precession arm in the initial beam, is proposed. The single arm, together with the polarizer and analyser and possible rotators, are mounted in front of the sample. The great advantage with respect to the case with another precession arm in the reflected beam is that magnetic...

Dynamical theory: Application to spin-echo resolved grazing incidence scattering from periodic structures

Neutron spin-echo resolved grazing incidence scattering (SERGIS) measurements performed on a silicon diffraction grating with a rectangular profile were shown in our previous publications to be well explained by dynamical theory calculations. The theory is based on a Bloch wave expansion of the neutron wavefunction in the periodic layer of the...

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Coherence approach in neutron, x-ray, and neutron spin-echo reflectometry

Based on the application of coherence theory to neutron scattering a description is given of the propagation of neutrons or x-rays through a reflectometer. Important coherence effects at the sample position are discussed. Further, an outline is given how to determine the measured count rate in a detector on the basis of this method including...

Observation of the Goos-Hänchen Shift with Neutrons

The Goos-Hänchen effect is a spatial shift along an interface resulting from an interference effect that occurs for total internal reflection. This phenomenon was suggested by Sir Isaac Newton, but it was not until 1947 that the effect was experimentally observed by Goos and Hänchen. We provide the first direct, absolute, experimental...

Coherence approach to neutron polarization propagation in instruments

The propagation of the mutual coherence function is a well known method to describe the effects of neutron’s propagation through scattering instruments. This method is extended with the description of the coherence matrix to account for neutron polarization effects and its propagation through an instrument. A propagation law for the coherence...