Designing CENTAUR, the small- and wide-angle neutron scattering instrument with diffraction and spectrometer capability at the Second Target Station of the Spallation Neutron Source*

CENTAUR is one of the first eight instruments selected for the Second Target Station of Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. As a work-horse Small-Angle Neutron Scattering instrument, its capabilities are extended to cover Wide-Angle Neutron Scattering (WANS) and diffraction, therefore provide a simultaneous coverage for structure measurement from atomic scale to hundreds of nanometers. Notably, the WANS and diffraction capability will be unique among SANS instruments in the United States. Centaur will enable in situ/ operando experiments on materials with hierarchical architecture, for kinetic and/or out-of-equilibrium studies of phenomena with time-resolution down to seconds in many areas of materials research including soft matter, polymer science, geology, biology and quantum condensed matter. The spectrometer mode extends the momentum transfer and energy transfer to a lower Q than those typically covered by other spectrometers and provides a unique capability for inelastic SANS experiment. Additionally, beam polarization will enable detailed structural and dynamical investigations of magnetic materials and quantum materials.

 

In this presentation, we will present the progress on the design of the Centaur instrument. And we invite the community to provide feedback and suggestions for the design, and to envision future experiments to take advantage of its full capability.