Current status of the 32 m small-angle neutron scattering instrument, SANS-U

The 32 m small-angle neutron scattering instrument, SANS-U, owned by the Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo, was upgraded in 2004 with a new multi-wired two-dimensional detector, a focusing collimation system, and a LabVIEW based controlling system. The performance of the new SANS-U, such as (1) linearity and uniformity of the detector, (2) the incident beam flux, (3) the flux and collimation relationship, (4) the absolute intensity correction and so on, was examined. Sample thickness dependence of incoherent scattering intensity from standard polyethylene samples was discussed by considering multiple scattering. The q-resolution of SANS-U was estimated with a series of Bragg reflections from a microphase-separated structure in a block copolymer film, where q is the momentum transfer.