An achromatic neutron lens

An achromatic neutron lens | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Physical Sciences - Article An achromatic neutron lens Mano raj Dhanalakshmi veeraraj, Joan Vila-Comamala, Di Qu, Hui-Yuan Chen, and 11 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8405033/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Neutrons provide exceptional insight into the structure and dynamics of materials, owing to their sensitivity to light elements, isotopic composition, magnetic moments, and high-penetration capabilities. Neutron sources produce beams that are polychromatic and have low brightness. Neutron optics provides a promising route to mitigate these challenges by guiding and focusing neutron beams, and to date, various types of neutron optics have been developed based on reflection, refraction, diffraction, and magnetism. Notably, compound refractive lenses and Fresnel zone plates have also been demonstrated for imaging and focusing applications, yet their severe chromatic aberration under polychromatic beams has prevented their widespread use and continues to limit progress towards true high-resolution neutron microscopy. Here, we demonstrate an achromatic neutron lens combining a compound refractive lens and a Fresnel zone plate. We experimentally verify its achromatic behaviour and compare its performance to a Fresnel zone plate. We employ the achromatic neutron lens to realise a full-field neutron microscope. This development overcomes the long-standing trade-off between flux and spatial resolution that constrains neutron imaging in a pinhole-based radiography geometry and establishes a pathway towards high-resolution neutron microscopy. We anticipate that this new class of neutron optics will advance a broad range of neutron methods that require or benefit from focused neutron beams. Physical sciences/Physics/Techniques and instrumentation/Imaging techniques Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Techniques and instrumentation/Imaging techniques Physical sciences/Materials science/Techniques and instrumentation/Imaging techniques Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files PaperAnachromaticneutronlenssupplementaryinfo.pdf Supplementary information PaperAnachromaticneutronlensExtendeddata.pdf Extended data Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8405033","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Physical Sciences - Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":570006230,"identity":"b53440e9-2862-4a1f-bcf8-c61174c2075e","order_by":0,"name":"Mano raj Dhanalakshmi 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Neutron sources produce beams that are polychromatic and have low brightness. Neutron optics provides a promising route to mitigate these challenges by guiding and focusing neutron beams, and to date, various types of neutron optics have been developed based on reflection, refraction, diffraction, and magnetism. Notably, compound refractive lenses and Fresnel zone plates have also been demonstrated for imaging and focusing applications, yet their severe chromatic aberration under polychromatic beams has prevented their widespread use and continues to limit progress towards true high-resolution neutron microscopy. Here, we demonstrate an achromatic neutron lens combining a compound refractive lens and a Fresnel zone plate. We experimentally verify its achromatic behaviour and compare its performance to a Fresnel zone plate. We employ the achromatic neutron lens to realise a full-field neutron microscope. This development overcomes the long-standing trade-off between flux and spatial resolution that constrains neutron imaging in a pinhole-based radiography geometry and establishes a pathway towards high-resolution neutron microscopy. We anticipate that this new class of neutron optics will advance a broad range of neutron methods that require or benefit from focused neutron beams.","manuscriptTitle":"An achromatic neutron lens","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-01-22 04:28:10","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8405033/v1","editorialEvents":[],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-communications","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"NCOMMS","sideBox":"Learn more about [Nature Communications](http://www.nature.com/ncomms/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://mts-ncomms.nature.com/","title":"Nature Communications","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"Nature Communications","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"553dbd45-2bd4-457f-8afc-1e47a18db07e","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 22nd, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":60651759,"name":"Physical sciences/Physics/Techniques and instrumentation/Imaging techniques"},{"id":60651760,"name":"Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology/Techniques and instrumentation/Imaging techniques"},{"id":60651761,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science/Techniques and instrumentation/Imaging techniques"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-22T04:28:10+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-01-22 04:28:10","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8405033","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8405033","identity":"rs-8405033","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}