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The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) produces neutrons that allow researchers to study key material properties. Neutrons are produced by the interaction of a very short (1 µsec), highly intense (1 MW at 60 Hz) pulse of protons with a flowing bath of mercury called the target. The process deposits a large amount of thermal energy in the mercury. Because mer ...

In the preparation of neutron beams, used at DOE facilities for materials research, polarized 3He offers over three orders of magnitude difference between the ortho and para spin states in its absorption cross section for epithermal neutrons. Cells of polarized 3He are favored in many experiments for their compact size, effectiveness over a broad range of neutron energies, and ability to convenie ...

Nuclear physics experiments conducted at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility utilize targets consisting of nuclear polarized 3He. These experiments utilize the high energy electron beam for months at a time to answer fundamental questions of how matter is composed of quarks. Over the next decade, the energy capability of the beam is scheduled to be upgraded from 6 GeV to 12 GeV. ...