Eberhard Lehmann

• Group Leader at Paul Scherrer Institute

We have developed neutron tomography as a new tool to study the interior of ancient works of art. The present paper details the principles of the method and summarizes also some of the latest results, particularly concerning Mongolian Buddhist statues of the 17./18th century. It is shown that offering deposits made of organic and ceramic materials,...

We propose a method to analyze the characteristics of scintillator screens for neutron imaging applications. Using calculations based on the theory of cascaded linear steps as well as experimental measurements, we compared the characteristics of different lithium- and gadolinium-based scintillator screens. Our results show that, despite their much...

Der vorliegende Band versammelt Ergebnisse eines vom SNF unterstützten, multidisziplinären Forschungsprojekts zu Korrosion im Innern von historischen Blechblasinstrumenten und ergänzt sie mit weiteren Beiträgen zum Thema der Konservierung insbesondere im Museumsbetrieb. Musikwissenschaftliche und organologische Fragestellungen treffen dabei auf che...

The fast neutron imaging technique with recoil proton detection harbors significant potential for imaging of thick, large-scale objects containing high-Z elements. However, the challenge to find efficient fast neutron scintillators with high spatial resolution is ongoing. The list of requirements for such scintillators is long and demanding: a prot...

Neutron radiography was employed to observe and quantify water exchange between fresh and old cement mortars. The influence of the initial moisture conditions (dry, water-saturated, and partially saturated) in the old mortar on water exchange at the interfaces was studied. The dynamic water content profiles in the repair and old mortars were determ...

Just after the start into the new millennium the concept for combined neutron and X-ray imaging was introduced by extending the standard configuration of the thermal neutron imaging NEUTRA instrument with a complementary 320 kV X-ray tube setup. Using essentially the same detector configuration for both neutron and X-ray imaging enables a pixel-wis...

NEURAP is a dedicated set-up at the Swiss neutron spallation source (SINQ) at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), optionally implemented as a special configuration of the neutron-imaging station NEUTRA. It is one of very few instrumentations available worldwide enabling neutron-imaging of highly radioactive samples to be performed routinely, with spe...

We report on the realization of an improved concept for the detection of fast neutrons using a specific setup of scintillators with the aim to overcome limitations in spatial resolution. While fast neutron imaging (FNI) is a technique to investigate very thick material layers in transmission mode, currently there is a limit in the spatial resolutio...

A new type of scintillator screen consisting of a ZnS scintillator with a dysprosium neutron converter is explored in a joint effort between Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). In contrast with a traditional prompt ⁶Li or Gd converters, a dysprosium converter generates a latent image as neutron activated dysprosium pr...

This chapter explains how to use tomography methods, both with thermal and cold neutrons and also X-rays for the investigation of cultural heritage objects. With the help of these noninvasive techniques, it becomes possible to describe and analyze the whole three-dimensional structure and composition of samples in a size range between a few millime...

Fast neutrons offer high penetration capabilities for both light and dense materials due to their comparatively low interaction cross sections, making them ideal for imaging of large-scale objects such as large fossils or as-built plane turbines, where X-rays or thermal neutrons do not provide sufficient penetration. However, inefficient fast neutr...

An overview is provided of the 15 neutron beam instruments making up the initial instrument suite of theEuropean Spallation Source (ESS), and being made available to the neutron user community. The ESS neutronsource consists of a high-power accelerator and target station, providing a unique long-pulse time structureof slow neutrons. The design cons...

A collaborative project between Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Paul-Scherrer Institute (PSI) is investigating a new type of scintillation screen that uses ZnS scintillator material with a dysprosium neutron converter instead of traditional prompt converters such as 6 Li. Such a screen exposed to a neutron beam creates a latent image by neutron...

We investigate directional solidification of the melt with solid inclusions by means of a non-invasive imaging technique-neutron radiography. For the first time results have revealed particle trapping in the solidifying melt at macro scale. It is shown that particle solidification in volume can be achieved when liquid and solid phases form a mushy...

Neutron imaging offers unique capabilities not limited to the structural characterisation of materials, components and processes at a large variety of neutron sources and thus is highly qualified to be a prime candidate for instrumentation at compact neutron sources. The peculiar characteristics of neutrons, and in particular the cross sections for...

Hydrogen distribution in zirconium nuclear fuel claddings can often be non-uniform because of the high mobility of hydrogen interstitial atoms, raising the risk to the fuel rod integrity. Therefore, the assessment of hydrogen migration behavior is of great importance when considering its potential detrimental effects during spent fuel storage. Here...

To assess salt damage risks in building materials and geomaterials, the key components to identify are the accumulation of salts and the damage propagation. Experimental data combining both are scarce but offer an additional richness for understanding the coupling between transport and mechanics in the context of salt crystallization in porous medi...

Chloride ions are an important actor in the corrosion of iron-based archaeological artifact. To stop this degradation, excavated objects are subjected to dechlorination treatment. However, there is no guarantee that this will remove all chloride from the object, as some can be found deep inside the object. To assess the ability of dechlorination tr...

Core Ideas 3D MRI relaxation time maps reflect water mobility in root, rhizosphere, and soil. 3D NCT water content maps of the same plant complement relaxation time maps. The relaxation time T1 decreases from soil to root, whereas water content increases. Parameters together indicate modification of rhizosphere pore space by gel phase. The zone of...

We describe in this paper the experimental procedure, the data treatment and the quantification of the black body correction: an experimental approach to compensate for scattering and systematic biases in quantitative neutron imaging based on experimental data. The correction algorithm is based on two steps; estimation of the scattering component a...

This paper reports on light yield enhancement of terbium-doped gadolinium oxysulfide based scintillator screens achieved by coating their substrates with thin layers of a high density and high atomic number material. For this purpose, iridium was chosen and layers of various thicknesses were applied by atomic layer deposition (ALD). We assessed new...

This entry gives an introductory overview of the application of the modern well‐established neutron and X‐ray imaging methods to museum objects and related materials. Since both kinds of radiation complement each other often in their interaction with matter, a combination of the image data can provide the perfect noninvasive picture of inner conten...

We developed an operando technique based on time-resolved high-resolution neutron imaging to map the water concentration distribution inside mm-sized catalysts beads catalyzing the sorption enhanced CO2 methanation reaction. By combining the spatially resolved results from neutron microscopy with the space-integrated reaction kinetics by gas analys...

In this paper, we describe, why and how neutron imaging methods are applied to contribute to the knowledge about historical music instruments, either brass based or using wood as structural material. Beside the recovery of constructive details of old brass wind instruments with the aim to build equivalent replica, the influence of moisture on inner...

A novel non-destructive space-resolved method for studying binder burnout is presented. Debinding of dry pressed zinc oxide green bodies was analyzed by neutron imaging. Neutrons in contrast to X-rays allow penetrating samples with large dimensions up to 80 mm and at the same time detecting variations in the organics content as small as 0.1 wt%. We...

We propose a method for improving the quantification of neutron imaging measurements with scintillator-camera based detectors by correcting for systematic biases introduced by scattered neutrons and other sources such as light reflections in the detector system. This method is fully experimental, using reference measurements with a grid of small bl...

The study of objects with cultural heritage relevance has been established at the PSI neutron imaging facilities within national and international collaborations since about 15 years. It is based on the properties of neutron beams to penetrate materials differently than common X-rays, providing alternative contrast features in the obtained image da...

This article reports on the simultaneous measurement of foam structure and attached particles employing neutron imaging. An aqueous foam sample is placed in the NEUTRA beamline at the Paul Scherrer Institut, enabling a spatial resolution of less than 200 μm to be achieved at a frame rate of more than 1 Hz. A forced drainage setup allows the liquid...

The development of neutron imaging from a qualitative inspection tool towards a quantitative technique in materials science has increased the requirements for accuracy significantly. Quantifying the thickness or the density of polycrystalline samples with high accuracy using neutron imaging has two main problems: (i) the scattering from the sample...

Zr-based alloys are used in nuclear power plants because of a unique combination of very low neutron absorption and excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance at operating conditions. However, Hydrogen (H) or Deuterium ingress due to waterside corrosion during operation can embrittle these materials. In particular, Zr alloys are affec...

The demand for high resolution neutron imaging has been steadily increasing over the past years. The number of facilities offering cutting edge resolution is however limited, due to (i) the design complexity of an optimized device able to reach a resolution in the order of ≈ 10 μm and (ii) limitations in available neutron flux. Here we propose a si...

In 2008, a series of international workshops—named NEUtron WAVElength-dependent Imaging (NEUWAVE)—was initiated after several decisions were taken to build new neutron spallation sources in the world, namely target station two of ISIS in the UK, J-PARC in Japan, SNS in the US, and the future ESS, now being built in Sweden. The aim was to collect ex...

Neutron imaging of sub-10-micrometres spatial resolution has been recently achieved in 2D mode within the framework of the Neutron Microscope project at the Paul Scherrer Institut. Here we report on the development of the PSI Neutron Microscope instrument and the results of the first microtomographic imaging experiment of multifilament superconduct...

Due to the high sensitivity for hydrogen, the detection and quantification of moisture and moisture transport processes are some of the key topics in neutron imaging. Especially when dealing with hygroscopic material, such as wood and other porous media, it is crucial for quantitative analyses to know and control the ambient conditions of the sampl...

Knowing the resolution and effective pixel size of an imaging system is essential for dimensional and quantitative measurements. A collection of test devices was developed for neutron imaging that can be used to quantify pixel and voxel size, resolution of the imaging system, and beam divergence. The first set of devices is intended for measurement...

Within this paper we summarize new approaches for the utilization of neutron beams for imaging purposes. Whereas most of the methods are still based on the radiography mode - however now with higher performance with respect to spatial resolution, dynamic range and linearity (obtained often in short exposure time) - the new aspects of using polarize...

Standard neutron imaging procedures are based on the “shadow” of the transmitted radiation, attenuated by the sample material. Under certain conditions significant deviations from pure transmission can be found in the form of enhancement or depression at the edges of the samples. These effects can limit the quantification process in the related reg...

For experiments with low contrast between the relevant features it can be beneficial to add a second modality to reduce ambiguity. At Paul Scherrer Institut the two neutron imaging facilities NEUTRA (thermal neutrons) and ICON (cold neutrons) we have installed X-ray beamlines for on-site bimodal imaging with neutrons and X-rays. This allows us to l...

In this paper a design feasibility study of a miniaturized demultiplexer that allows for simultaneous tomographic imaging on three independent rotational axes. While the general concept has been proven on a larger scale for three centimeter sized samples, the downscaling of this concept is presented herein. The main requirements are firstly, positi...

The methodical progress in the field of neutron imaging is visible in general but on different levels in the particular labs. Consequently, the access to most suitable beam ports, the usage of advanced imaging detector systems and the professional image processing made the technique competitive to other non-destructive tools like X-ray imaging. Bas...

Either the composition, the thickness or the density of a sample can be derived, given the other two are known, by measuring the attenuation of a given incident radiation intensity through the sample. However, in the case of neutron imaging, the separation of the transmitted intensity from the scattered intensity using scintillator-based detection...

Gemmology deals with the characterization of coloured stones, diamonds and pearls used in the jewellery sector. As the investigated objects are in general rather valuable, a large variety of non-destructive testing methods (e.g. X-ray luminescence, X-ray tomography, UV/VIS spectroscopy, etc.) is routinely used for their inspection and characterisat...

The methodology and the application range of neutron imaging techniques have been significantly improved at numerous facilities worldwide in the last decades. This progress has been achieved by new detector systems, the setup of dedicated, optimized and flexible beam lines and the much better understanding of the complete imaging process thanks to...

Neutron imaging is a non-destructive experimental method, which allows for revealing of the inner structure of the investigated objects. The high-penetration depth of the neutron beam in metal and rock materials in combination with the high-sensitivity to light-elements like hydrogen, lithium and boron determines the complimentary of the method to...

Renaissance bronze objects from the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) collection and lead ingots from ancient roman shipwrecks found near Sicily (Italy) were studied by means of neutron tomography. This was done with the aim to visualize and to measure the inner structures of the objects. In this way information about the manufacturing processes in the 16th...

Neutron Imaging (NI) has been developed in the last decades from a film-based inspection method for non-destructive observations towards a powerful research tool with many new and competitive methods. The most important technical step forward has been the introduction and optimization of digital imaging detection systems. In this way, direct quanti...

Noninvasive imaging in the root soil compartment is mandatory for improving knowledge about root soil interactions and uptake processes which eventually control crop growth and productivity. Here we propose a method of MRI T1 relaxation mapping to investigate water uptake patterns, and as second example, in combination with neutron tomography (NT),...

Neutron imaging has been used for nearly two decades to visualize the water distribution in operating polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) and address various issues related to water management. Its range of application ranges from small scale cells of a few cm² to full-size technical cells, and the high penetration of neutrons through usual fuel...

Felsic and mafic gneisses constitute large proportions of the upper and lower continental crust. Gneisses often display high anisotropy of elastic properties associated with preferred orientations of sheet silicates. Here we study the elastic anisotropy of a sample of Tambo gneiss from Promontogno in the Central Alps. We apply optical microscopy, t...

Neutron scattering and neutron imaging are activities at the strong neutron sources which have been developed rather independently. However, there are similarities and overlaps in the research topics to which both methods can contribute and thus useful synergies can be found. In particular, the spatial resolution of neutron imaging has improved rec...

The recent developments in scientific complementary metal oxide semiconductor (sCMOS) detector technology allow for imaging of relevant processes with very high temporal resolution with practically negligible readout time. However, it is neutron intensity that limits the high temporal resolution neutron imaging. In order to partially overcome the n...

Moisture behaviour of plywood is investigated in combination with detailed structural analysis. In the lab, neutron radiography and X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) were used to map the moisture distribution and internal structure of plywood respectively. In an outdoor natural weathering test, the average moisture content (MC) and moisture dist...

Computed tomography has become a routine method for probing processes in porous media, and the use of neutron imaging is especially suited to the study of the dynamics of hydrogenous fluids, and of fluids in a high-density matrix. In this paper we give an overview of recent developments in both instrumentation and methodology at the neutron imaging...

Here we report the recent advances in the Neutron Microscope project at the Paul Scherrer Institut. We demonstrate the recent improvement on the capability of neutron imaging that allows us to acquire neutron images with isotropic spatial resolution of about 5 micrometres.

The recent development of bright pulsed neutron sources and high resolution neutron counting detectors enables simultaneous acquisition of a neutron transmission spectrum for each pixel of the image. These spectra can be used to reconstruct microstructure parameters within welds, such as strain, texture and phase composition through Bragg edge anal...

We use neutron dark-field imaging to visualize and interpret the response of bulk magnetic domain walls to static and dynamic magnetic excitations in (110)-Goss textured iron silicon high-permeability steel alloy. We investigate the domain-wall motion under the influence of an external alternating sinusoidal magnetic field. In particular, we perfor...

Industrial transformer cores are composed of stacked high-permeability steel laminations (HPSLs). The performance and degree of efficiency of transformers are directly determined by the magnetic properties of each HPSL. In this article, we show how the neutron dark-field image (DFI) allows for the in situ visualization of the locally resolved respo...

Using simultaneous neutron, fluorescence, and optical brightfield transmission imaging, the diffusion of solvent, fluorescent dyes, and macromolecules into a crosslinked polyacrylamide hydrogel was investigated. This novel combination of different imaging techniques enables us to distinguish the movements of the solvent and fluorescent molecules....

Concrete highway and airport pavements are designed to be long lasting; however, some concrete pavements have shown premature deterioration at the cracks and joints. It has been hypothesized that one cause of this deterioration is associated with fluid ingress, especially in cases where those fluids contain deicing salts. This paper examines fluid...

This paper describes a device that allows for simultaneous tomographic imaging of samples on three independent rotational axes. This rotation axis demultiplexer (POLYTOM) is equipped with anti-backlash gears and placed on a standard sample rotation stage thus allowing for the transformation of the input rotation axis onto two additional parallel ve...

Water adsorption enhanced catalysis has been recently shown to greatly increase the conversion yield of CO2 methanation. However, the joint catalysis and adsorption process requires new reactor concepts. We measured the spatial water distribution in a model fixed bed reactor using time resolved neutron imaging. Due to the high neutron attenuation c...

The performance and degree of efficiency of industrial transformers are directly influenced by the magnetic properties of high-permeability steel laminations (HPSLs). Industrial transformer cores are built of stacks of single HPSLs. While the insulating coating on each HPSL reduces eddy-current losses in the transformer core, the coating also induc...

This paper presents the results of applying neutron imaging methods to the gold bust of Marcus Aurelius, an analytical procedure that was carried out in 2006 at the Paul Scherrer Institut in Villigen (Switzerland). The results have produced a better understanding of the gold repoussé manufacturing techniques for large pieces. Given the number of go...

In many designs for radioactive waste repositories, cement and clay will come into direct contact. The geochemical contrast between cement and clay will lead to mass fluxes across the interface, which consequently results in alteration of structural and transport properties of both materials that may affect the performance of the multi-barrier syst...

The soil in direct vicinity of the roots, the root-soil interface or so called rhizosphere, is heavily modified by the activity of roots, compared to bulk soil, e.g. in respect to microbiology and soil chemistry. It has turned out that the root-soil interface, though small in size, also plays a decisive role in the hydraulics controlling the water...

Measurement and visualization of water flow in soil and roots is essential for understanding of how roots take up water from soils. Such information would allow for the optimization of irrigation practices and for the identification of the optimal traits for the capture of water, in particular when water is scarce. However, measuring water flow in...

The combined utilization of neutron and X-ray imaging for non-invasive investigations of cultural heritage objects is demonstrated on the example of a short sword found a few years ago in lake Zug, Switzerland. After conservation treatments carried out at the Swiss National Museum the sword was examined at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), Villigen...

The Violinist (1920), the only sculpture made by Gargallo using lead sheet and wood, is being corroded by carbonation, most probably due to the organic vapours released by the wood inside, a material not chemically compatible with lead. Hydrogen plasma has been tested and proved to be an effective treatment meaning that the sculpture has to be dism...

The upcoming high intensity pulsed spallationneutron source ESS, now in construction in Sweden, will provide unprecedented opportunities for neutron science worldwide. In particular, neutron imaging will benefit from the time structure of the source and its high brilliance. These features will unlock new opportunities at the imaging beamline ODIN,...

The Fast Acquisition Laue Camera for Neutrons (FALCON) is a thermal neutron Laue diffractometer at HZB in Berlin. The instrument comprises two scintillator plate detectors coupled to four iCCD cameras each. One detector is placed in the backscattering position, enabling neutrons to pass through the centre of the detector box. The second detector is...

Here we present results stemming from the first prototype of the Neutron Microscope instrument at Paul ScherrerInstitut (PSI). The instrument is based on a very thin gadolinium oxysulfide (Gd2O2S:Tb+) scintillator screen and a magnifying optics. The Neutron Microscope prototype has been tested at the ICON and the BOA beamlines at PSI and sub-10μm f...

The neutron Grating Interferometer (nGI) is a standard user instrument at the cold neutron imaging beamline ICON (Kaestner, 2011) at the neutron source SINQ at Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Switzerland. The setup is able to deliver simultaneously information about the attenuation, phase shift (DPC) (Pfeiffer, 2006) and scattering properties in the...

We report on the status and the visible progress in neutron imaging technology based on the installation of new facilities world-wide, on the further upgrade of existing ones and on the new aspects with respect to methods and applications. This overview is based on existing databases from the IAEA and a new questionnaire-based data collection drive...

Common neutron imaging uses the full polychromatic neutron beam spectrum to reveal the material distribution in a non-destructive way. Performing it with a reduced energy band, i.e. energy-selective neutron imaging, allows access to local variation in sample crystallographic properties. Two sample categories can be discerned with different energy r...

For the production of high-class electrical steel grades a deeper understanding of the magnetic domain interaction with induced mechanical stresses is strongly required. This holds for non-oriented (NO) as well as grain-oriented (GO) steels. In the case of non-oriented steels the magnetic property degeneration after punching or laser cutting is ess...

Computed tomography has become a standard method to probe processes in porous media. Neutrons enabled us to better study the dynamics of hydrogeneous fluids in the matrix of dense and opaque materials. We review recent instrumentation and method improvements to the neutron imaging facilities NEUTRA and ICON at Paul Scherrer Institute. The improveme...

The injection process of diesel engines influences the pollutant emissions. The spray formation is significantly influenced by the internal flow of the injector. One of the key parameters here is the generation of cavitation caused by the geometry and the needle lift. In modern diesel engines the injection pressure is established up to 3000 bar. Th...

In neutron grating interferometry, the dark-field image visualizes the scattering properties of samples in the small-angle and ultra-small-angle scattering range. These angles correspond to correlation lengths from several hundred nanometers up to several tens of micrometers. In this article, we present an experimental study that demonstrates the p...

The integrity of turbine blades is at the heart of every operating aerospace engine or land-based gas turbine. In the most demanding environments, they are cast as single crystals. Whereas traditional neutron imaging is an excellent tool for the non-destructive testing in search of cracks or residual core material, it is insensitive to variations i...