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arXiv · 2604.09312

Commissioning measurements for a very cold neutron interferometer based on nanodiamond-polymer composite gratings

Roxana H. Ackermann·Sonja Falmbigl·Elhoucine Hadden·Alexia Dubois Leprou·Hanno Filter-Pieler·Tobias Jenke·Jürgen Klepp·Christian Pruner·Yasuo Tomita·Martin Fally
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Abstract

Over the past decade, holographic nanodiamond-polymer composite gratings have been developed and optimized as high-efficiency diffractive elements for very cold neutrons (VCN), for use as mirrors and beam splitters in a triple-Laue (LLL) interferometer. We report their optical characterization and, crucially, their neutron-optical performance, including diffraction efficiency and angular selectivity under VCN conditions. We further demonstrate their integration into a VCN interferometer. The layout of the interferometer and its first implementation at the beamline are described, highlighting practical considerations for long-term operation. We discuss avenues for performance improvement, in particular grating fabrication refinements. These results establish nanodiamond-polymer composite gratings as viable components for VCN interferometry and pave a way toward precision neutron phase measurements in the very cold regime.

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Roxana H. Ackermann, Sonja Falmbigl, Elhoucine Hadden, Alexia Dubois Leprou, Hanno Filter-Pieler, Tobias Jenke, Jürgen Klepp, Christian Pruner, Yasuo Tomita, Martin Fally. 2026-04-10. Commissioning measurements for a very cold neutron interferometer based on nanodiamond-polymer composite gratings. https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.09312

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