Neutron Fibres: Confined Propagation and Focusing of Neutrons in the Micron Range and Residual Stress Analysis

Abstract

We summarize the confined propagation of thermal neutrons along waveguides with small transverse cross section (neutron fibres). We outline proposals for neutron fibres with transverse sizes from microns (μm) down to tens of nanometers (nm). We summarize experimental implementations by means of polycapillary glass fibres, in the μm scale. Some diffraction experiments on small samples by means of thermal neutron capillary optics are summarized. Such developments (together with absorption techniques) could have possible interest for residual stress analysis, below the mm scale.