The Instrument Development Beam Line at HFIR
Four instrument development beam lines are in varying stages of development or completion at the Cold Guide 1 (CG-1) position at HFIR. CG1 is the largest of the four guides housed in the Cold Guide Hall. Because it is such a large beam, the HFIR team split it into four separate beams—four separate instruments.
CG-1A will be used to develop a SERGIS instrument prototype that employs the spin-echo scattering angle measurement technique. SERGIS, which is a relatively new concept, combines the spin-echo technique with reflectometry. SERGIS is particularly useful for the study of polymer systems, and researchers want to see if it has potential as a user instrument. It is currently under development at several neutron scattering facilities around the world.
CG-1B, a utility diffractometer, will be used to develop monochromators and analyzers—optical components that use diffraction. The researchers also hope to make it available to users to prepare their experiments before moving on to their more cost-intensive and time-intensive user instrument. With this in mind, the table on the CG-1B has been designed to match the interface on the other HFIR instruments.
CG-1C is a monochromatic beam line and will be used similarly to 1D, an imaging beam line. The two beams are so close together that they cannot be used at the same time.
CG-1D is a time-of-flight beam line that is being used for neutron imaging studies, essentially taking non-invasive images of the structure of materials, using neutrons rather than x-rays. More about CG-1D.
