Mass-selective neutron spectroscopy beyond the proton

Abstract

We discuss ongoing methodological developments underpinning the determination of nuclear-momentum distributions from mass-resolved neutron Compton data of lightweight materials. To this end, two systems are considered in detail, namely, lithium hydride (including its deuterated counterpart) and squaric acid, an organic antiferroelectric material containing hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. Beyond the usual case of the proton, our approach enables direct access to detailed line shape information associated with the underlying nuclear-momentum distributions of both deuterium and lithium. For oxygen and carbon, mean kinetic energies can also be obtained directly from the neutron data, as demonstrated by a detailed analysis of mass- resolved data from squaric acid. From an instrumentation point of view, this work provides a suitable platform for a detailed assessment of existing capabilities and future developments in mass-selective neutron spectroscopy on the VESUVIO spectrometer at ISIS.