A New Neutron Interferometry Facility at NCNR

A neutron interferometer splits an incoming neutron beam into two coherent partial beams, which travel on different paths and then recombine to form an interference pattern. This pattern is used to precisely determine the phase shift of a sample in one of the paths, thus the neutron interaction potential in the sample can be measured with high precision. A new neutron interferometry setup (NIOFa) has been constructed at the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR). This new facility is mainly focused on spin based interferometry, which will expand its applications in both quantum computation and material research. New spin-control mechanisms are being tested; including thin-film spin flippers and efficient polarizing double cavity super mirrors. Doubling the neutron's degrees of freedom inside the interferometer promises exciting new quantum mechanical experiments and research capabilities.