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

TL;DR

This paper reports on the development, characterization, and integration of nanodiamond-polymer composite gratings as effective components for very cold neutron interferometry, enabling precise phase measurements.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of nanodiamond-polymer gratings in VCN interferometry, including their optical properties and practical implementation details.

Findings

High diffraction efficiency for VCN achieved

Successful integration into a VCN interferometer demonstrated

Potential for improved neutron phase measurement precision

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.