Phase Vortex Lattices in Neutron Interferometry

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a novel neutron interferometry technique using aluminium prisms to generate a neutron phase vortex lattice with significant orbital angular momentum, enabling advanced neutron optics applications.

Contribution

It introduces a generalization of magnetic methods for neutron vortex lattice generation utilizing nuclear interactions, resulting in a tighter lattice and potential for intrinsic neutron orbital angular momentum states.

Findings

Generated neutron phase vortex lattice with L_z=0.35

Achieved lattice scale of 220 microns

Applicable to ultra small angle neutron scattering

Abstract

A combination of aluminium prisms inserted into a nested loop interferometer is used to generate a neutron phase vortex lattice with significant extrinsic orbital angular momentum, L_z=0.35, on a length scale of 220 microns, transverse to the propagation direction. Our method is a generalization of recently developed magnetic methods, such that we can exploit the strong nuclear interaction. The stronger potential of these prisms allows for the generation of a tighter lattice. Combined with recent advances in neutron compound optics and split crystal interferometry our method may be applied to the generation of intrinsic neutron orbital angular momentum states. Finally, we assert that, in its current state, our setup is directly applicable to anisotropic ultra small angle neutron scattering.