title: Sub-pixel correlation length neutron imaging: Spatially resolved scattering information of microstructures on a macroscopic scale.
abstract: Neutron imaging and scattering give data of significantly different nature and traditional methods leave a gap of accessible structure sizes at around 10 micrometers. Only in recent years overlap in the probed size ranges could be achieved by independent application of high resolution scattering and imaging methods, however without providing full structural information when microstructures vary on a macroscopic scale. In this study we show how quantitative neutron dark-field imaging with a novel experimental approach provides both sub-pixel resolution with respect to microscopic correlation lengths and imaging of macroscopic variations of the microstructure. Thus it provides combined information on multiple length scales. A dispersion of micrometer sized polystyrene colloids was chosen as a model system to study gravity induced crystallisation of microspheres on a macro scale, including the identification of ordered as well as unordered phases. Our results pave the way to study heterogeneous systems locally in a previously impossible manner.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland.|University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ralph P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Harti
authors.affiliation: European Spallation Source E.R.I.C., 22100 Lund, Sweden.|Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen University, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Strobl
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Benedikt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Betz
authors.affiliation: Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland.|Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Konstantins
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jefimovs
authors.affiliation: Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland.|Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Matias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kagias
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institut, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grünzweig