Credit: ORNL/Jill Hemman, Tommy Thomasson III
The VENUS beamline at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source will provide the United States with an exclusive state-of-the-art imaging capability to study materials, providing novel insights into materials used in energy storage, additive manufacturing, nuclear fuels, biological systems, and geosciences, in addition to nondestructive analysis of historical artifacts. An artistic rendition features the concrete slabs poured to support the optical devices, including the chopper systems. The choppers attach to the beamline feeding from the bulk shield insert mounted to the concrete barrier in between the instrument and the SNS liquid mercury target (not shown) used to create neutrons.