A Neutron Vibrational Spectrometer for the Spallation Neutron Source
Vision is a proposed indirect geometry, time of flight (TOF) neutron vibrational spectrometer (NVS) for the Spallation Neutron Source. Broadly speaking, VISION will be a neutron analogue of an IR/Raman spectrometer. Under optimal conditions, this next generation instrument will have a throughput two orders of magnitude greater than current instruments, cover an energy transfer range of 0-500 meV (or 0-4000 cm-1) and have a 1-2% energy resolution, while simultaneously enabling diffraction studies for structural characterization. These features make VISION ideally suited to address a wide range of scientific problems in such fields as biochemistry, catalysis, materials science, geology, polymers and engineering. The unique opportunity offered by VISION at SNS, which has the potential for counting rates more than two orders of magnitude higher than those of existing instruments, will make it possible to address scientific problems inaccessible today.