KWS-2, the high intensity / wide<i>Q</i>-range small-angle neutron diffractometer for soft-matter and biology at FRM II

Abstract

The KWS-2 small-angle neutron diffractometer operated by JCNS at FRM II is upgraded and optimized towards high intensity and wide Q-range studies of mesoscopic structures and structural changes due to rapid kinetics and becomes a dedicated SANS instrument to soft-matter and biology. The high intensity permits fast measurement of small or weak scattering samples and time resolved structural studies with a time resolution up to 100ms. The possibility to cover up to four decades in Q will soon enable structural investigation over a wide length scale, between several Å and lμm. The characteristics and performance of the instrument in the conventional pinhole mode is detailed presented and the new upgrades currently in progress and aiming for boosting the instrument performance towards higher intensity and wider Q-range are reported.