research
A Lens Brings Every Neutron Color Home
PSI researchers combined nickel diffraction rings and diamond refractive structures to focus a broad neutron spectrum into one sharp, magnified image.
Summary
PSI researchers combined nickel diffraction rings and diamond refractive structures to focus a broad neutron spectrum into one sharp, magnified image.
Neutron imaging can see hydrogen and lithium through dense metal, but its weak interaction with matter has also made neutron beams difficult to focus. Paul Scherrer Institute researchers built an achromatic lens that uses concentric nickel rings for diffraction and precisely shaped diamond elements for refraction, bringing multiple neutron wavelengths to the same focal point. In tests, the system resolved details below 20 micrometers and magnified a lithium-ion battery electrode assembly sevenfold while the sample sat six meters from the detector. Longer beamlines may be needed to exploit greater magnification, but the demonstrated lens opens a path to watching processes inside bulky furnaces, cryostats, pressure cells, engines, and batteries.
Why it matters
PSI researchers combined nickel diffraction rings and diamond refractive structures to focus a broad neutron spectrum into one sharp, magnified image.
Limits and context
No additional limitation was separately recorded.
Key claims
PSI researchers combined nickel diffraction rings and diamond refractive structures to focus a broad neutron spectrum into one sharp, magnified image.
Evidence: source-2026-07-15-002
Sources
- Paul Scherrer Institute: A world-first lens brings neutrons into sharper focusPaul Scherrer Institute · official announcement
Corrections
No corrections have been recorded for this story.