Virtual design of the neutron guide for the TOF spectrometer NEAT

Abstract

We present the results of a virtual design study based on Monte-Carlo neutron ray tracing techniques for the neutron guide of the time of flight (TOF) spectrometer NEAT. We studied several configurations with linearly or elliptically tapered compressors with different degrees of focusing and different guide coatings. The calculations were performed and crosschecked using two software packages which produced similar results. The geometrical arrangement of selected guide components was optimised with the Particle Swarm Optimisation algorithm. The results of the Monte Carlo simulations confirm an expected intensity gain factor of approximately 5, that can be achieved by the optimal configuration. © 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd.