Neutron Sciences Directorate

The High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) boasts a world-class collection of neutron-scattering instruments, used for fundamental and applied science in materials research.

ORNL is preparing to replace HFIR’s cold neutron guide network, used for transporting neutron beams to instruments, with a new design that capitalizes on technological improvements in neutron optics and materials. In conjunction with this redesign, plans are under way to extend HFIR’s cold guide hall by more than 4,000 square feet.

The cold guide hall features instruments that use cold neutrons with lower energies to unlock information about complex soft matter, such as proteins and polymers, and analyze materials with magnetic properties.

Extending this guide hall will allow for reconfiguring and optimizing the facility’s cold neutron instruments to significantly improve their performance, develop new capabilities, and provide space to build new instruments. Expanding and redesigning the instrument layout is essential for meeting emerging scientific priorities and supporting cutting-edge research.

The cold guide hall expansion will involve:

• Relocating the existing Cold Triple Axis (CTAX) spectrometer to provide significant performance gains, including the ability to collect data faster and use smaller samples.
• Making space to build a new Neutron Spin Echo (NSE) spectrometer, a crucial instrument for advancing research on biological materials and other forms of soft matter.
• Providing the Imaging and IMAGINE instruments with new designated locations.