title: Decoupling of a neutron interferometer from temperature gradients.
abstract: Neutron interferometry enables precision measurements that are typically operated within elaborate, multi-layered facilities which provide substantial shielding from environmental noise. These facilities are necessary to maintain the coherence requirements in a perfect crystal neutron interferometer which is extremely sensitive to local environmental conditions such as temperature gradients across the interferometer, external vibrations, and acoustic waves. The ease of operation and breadth of applications of perfect crystal neutron interferometry would greatly benefit from a mode of operation which relaxes these stringent isolation requirements. Here, the INDEX Collaboration and National Institute of Standards and Technology demonstrates the functionality of a neutron interferometer in vacuum and characterize the use of a compact vacuum chamber enclosure as a means to isolate the interferometer from spatial temperature gradients and time-dependent temperature fluctuations. The vacuum chamber is found to have no depreciable effect on the performance of the interferometer (contrast) while improving system stability, thereby showing that it is feasible to replace large temperature isolation and control systems with a compact vacuum enclosure for perfect crystal neutron interferometry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saggu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mineeva
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arif
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Cory
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haun
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Heacock
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47408, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nsofini
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sarenac
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, USA.
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Shahi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Skavysh
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47408, USA.
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Snow
authors.affiliation: Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Pushin