LENS—a pulsed neutron source for education and research

At the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility construction of a new source of cold neutrons has begun. Neutrons are generated by stopping 13 MeV protons in a beryllium target, located at the center of a moderator structure. Cold neutrons are emitted from a slab of frozen methane. Three beam lines deliver neutrons for scattering experiments, radiography and moderator studies. The purpose of the project is to develop a low-cost, small-scale facility, suitable for a university or an industrial setting, to provide a testing ground of instrumentation destined for use at a larger facility, to improve awareness of the use of neutron probes in a wide range of applications, and to offer a training opportunity for future neutron physicists.