Development of an optical device for thermal neutrons by amorphous perfluoropolymer

We have developed a prototype of neutron prism made of an amorphous perfluoropolymer CYTOP. This prism was composed of 100 thin sheets with a series of narrow “V”-shaped grooves at one side of each sheet. The small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) intensity of CYTOP was very small and was constant. The refraction effect study using cold neutrons with the wavelength of 6–12 Å revealed that the refracting angle by the prism for 8 Å neutrons was 1.5 mrad. According to these results, it is possible to realize a refractive device for thermal neutrons using amorphous perfluoropolymer CYTOP with more sheets and some refinements in the shape and the film quality.