Detection and imaging of electric fields, using polarized neutrons

Abstract: A method and corresponding apparatus are provided for measuring neutron spin precession in an electric field with high sensitivity suitable for practical applications in non-destructive testing, imaging, and the like. Production of a neutron beam with a polarization vector P is followed by transmitting the spin-polarized neutron beam through a sample region in which there is a target generating an electric field, polarization-analyzing the transmitted neutron beam with an analyzing direction orthogonal to P, detecting an intensity of the polarization-analyzed neutron beam; and mapping the detected neutron-beam intensity to a field-strength value for the target electric field.
Filed: 5/10/2022
This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention.
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