The U. K. Spallation Neutron Source

Abstract

Pulsed neutron sources offer an attractive route for the realization of effective fluxes greater than those currently available from high flux reactors. The spallation neutron source now under construction at the Rutherford Laboratory will produce intense bursts of fast neutrons through interactions of 800 MeV protons with a heavy metal target. The fast neutrons are slowed down in nearby hydrogenous moderators viewed by some 20 time-of-flight neutron scattering instruments. The spectrum of the moderated neutrons is strongly enhanced in the high velocity region compared with that from a reactor. The new source will be comparable with the best beam reactors for experiments with neutrons of mid-thermal energy, and will provide unrivalled potential for use of the epithermal neutrons. Areas of science that will benefit immediately are the study of liquids and amorphous materials, high energy excitations in crystalline materials, molecular spectroscopy, surface phenomena and kinetic processes, as well as a range of crystallographic applications.