Scientists at LLB and SYMMES (both UMRs CEA-CNRS) have built and now operate SHARPER, a time-of-flight neutron spectrometer installed at the Institut Laue Langevin (ILL). This instrument is designed to probe dynamical processes in condensed matter by inelastic neutron scattering
The upgrade of the IN6 spectrometer to SHARP (Spectromètre Hybride Alpes Région Parisienne) and then to SHARPER (SHARP Etendu en Résolution), initiated by the Léon Brillouin Laboratory – LLB in 2021, is now complete. Compared with the former instrument, the new spectrometer provides a higher counting rate, with an extension of the accessible ranges of resolution, energy and scattering vectors.
The SHARPER neutron spectrometer has been designed to meet the needs of diverse scientific communities, enabling it to address societal challenges in the fields of energy, health, quantum physics and the environment.
The SHARPER neutron spectrometer with direct geometry and time-of-flight is housed at the Institut Laue Langevin in Grenoble. It allows precise measurements of the energy of neutrons scattered by matter, giving access to dynamic processes (excitation, relaxation or scattering processes) from the atomic to the molecular scale. The quasi-elastic neutron scattering signal (QENS), for example, gives access to both correlation times, transport properties and motion geometry at the molecular level.
SHARPER delivers unprecedented performance over a wide range of time, length and energy scales. This advanced instrument combines high neutron flux with exceptional energy resolution achieving 50 μeV, making it at the forefront of international research for the study of intricate dynamics of materials. The huge 23 m3 chamber contains 240 two-meter-high position sensitive detectors, which enable to precisely determine the neutron impact positions and to optimally define the diffraction patterns. The chamber is under high vacuum (10-3 mbar), which greatly improve the background noise level.
Optimized for a wide range of scientific applications, SHARPER sets a new benchmark in the study of the behavior of complex materials. For example, in the field of energy storage, inelastic neutron scattering uncovers mechanisms like ion mobility and lattice dynamics, for the optimization of batteries and hydrogen storage systems (Fig. 1a). In the field of quantum materials, low-energy excitations arising from atomic vibrations and electronic interactions offer valuable insights into temperature-dependent properties, critical for quantum computing and advanced electronics (Fig. 1b).
Figures: (1a) left, schematic diagram of an anion-exchange membrane fuel cell and its mode of operation. Sketch illustrating the polymeric membrane, ion and water dynamics (adapted from Foglia, Nat. Mat.).
(1b) right, low-energy magnetic excitations of the Mn12 acetate spin cluster.
First users are expected in June 2025. A new monochromator is under development to extend energy resolution and bridge the temporal gap with backscattering spectrometers.
Outside view of SHARPER © CEA, ILL, Ecliptique
During the visit of the CEA Scientific Council (May 30, 2024), at the door of the detection chamber of the SHARPER spectrometer, from left to right: V. Berger (Haut-Commissaire à l’Énergie Atomique), A.I. Etienvre (Director of CEA/DRF), F. Daviaud (Director of CEA/Iramis) , T. Deutsch, P. Bayle-Guillemaud (Director of CEA-IRIG) and Q. Berrod (UMR SYMMES, CEA-CNRS-UGA). © CEA, ILL.
Jean-Marc Zanotti (LLB/MMB, UMR CEA-CNRS), physicist, designer and manager of the instrument, near the sample holder at the heart of the spectrometer. © CEA, ILL, Ecliptique.
Foundings
- Franco-Swedish agreement (CEA – CNRS – Swedish Research Council) for the design and construction of neutron spectrometers, as part of the European Spallation Source. (ESS).
- Program 172 of the French Ministry of Research.
- Federation of Neutron Diffusion (2FDN) for the sample well translator
References
- [1] Disentangling water, ion and polymer dynamics in an anion exchange membrane
F. Foglia, Q. Berrod et al., Nature Materials 2022 - [2] Free volume theory of self-diffusion in zeolites: Molecular simulation and experiment
Kellouai et al., Microporous and Mesoporous Materials 2025 - Sharper instrument @ ILL, Grenoble
See the LLB news (Juillet 2024): “Sharper : un spectromètre “à temps de vol” opérationnel“
See the CEA-IRIG highlight: “SHARPER un spectromètre à neutrons français à l’Institut Laue Langevin“.
- Contact CEA-IRAMIS : Jean-Marc Zanotti (LLB/MMB, UMR CEA-CNRS)
- Contact CNRS : Quentin Berrod (UMR SYMMES; CEA-CNRS-UGA), Grenoble