High-intensity spin-echo spectrometer

WASP is a spin-echo spectrometer optimised for high signal and high momentum transfer measurements. It replaced the ILL spectrometer IN11. The instrument has received substantial financial support from Forschungszentrum Jülich.

The new magnetic coil layout gives the instrument its name: wide angle spin-echo (WASP).

WASP is optimised for studying diffusion of atoms and spin excitations on atomic and molecular length scales of 0.1-10 nm. With regards to the data rate, WASP is 10-100 better than existing spin-echo spectrometers. Typical applications for WASP are:

• Study of the motion of biological functional groups
• Diffusive dynamics in incoherent scatterers
• Dynamics in molecular magnets
• Dynamics of 1d and 2d confined molecules
• Development of new models for systems near the glass transition
• Small samples (magnetic or other)

This artist view of the project (January 2010) shows the main characteristics of the new instrument. Note the small arrows which represent the neutron spin orientation.