CIM—Compact intensity modulation

Compact intensity modulation (CIM), a new method to modulate the intensity of a neutron beam is demonstrated. CIM allows the production of arbitrary signals where the focus point can be chosen and changed without any constraints. A novel feature in this technique compared to spin echo techniques is that the neutron polarization is kept parallel or anti-parallel to the static fields during the passage through the magnetic fields and the beating pattern at the detector is produced by an amplitude modulation (AM) of the adiabatic RF-spin flippers rather than Larmor precession like in neutron spin echo (NSE) instruments; thus, the achievable contrast is very high and the instrument resolution can be changed very quickly. This gives the fascinating possibility at pulsed neutron sources to sweep the modulation frequency of the flippers in order to increase dynamic resolution range during the same neutron pulse.