A high brilliance low-frequency spallation source optimized for one single instrument

Abstract

Conducting neutron scattering experiments in the presence of high pulsed magnetic fields provides valuable information about the magnetic structures of materials. However, these experiments are challenging and time-consuming because the neutron count is typically low, due to the asynchronization between the neutron and magnetic pulses. In this paper we investigate the idea of having an optimized dedicated source, i.e. a second target station at the European Spallation Source (ESS). This involves extracting protons from the same linear accelerator (linac) as the first target, synchronizing their frequency with the magnetic pulse frequency. The lower frequency contributes to a considerable decrease in the average heat load and provides greater flexibility in positioning neutron optics due to reduced radiation damage. Through an analytical approach, we investigated the effect of the moderator size and the guide distance on the sample flux, and compared it to the current ESS design.