Characterization of pyrolytic graphite with cold neutrons

We present a thorough investigation of the diffuse scattering of neutrons from Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) that appears in the tails of the (002) Bragg scattering profile. Using a low background neutron diffraction setup, the elastic diffuse scattering is shown to be a factor of 104−107 weaker than the peak intensity of the (002) Bragg reflection. Evidence of inelastic scattering due to phonons is observed, 105 times weaker than the Bragg peak. Our results demonstrate the possibility of using HOPG in complex multiplexing geometries to improve the performance of spectrometers involving multi-analyzer back-end systems, and can be helpful in designing such systems for optimal performance.