FALCON - a new instrument project at SINQ

Early 2020, an agreement between the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin and Paul Scherrer Institut has been signed, according to which the recently commissioned Laue Diffractometer Falcon (E11) would be transferred from HZB to PSI. The purpose of this agreement was to make state-of-the-art equipment from the recently closed research reactor BER-II at HZB work for scientific community at SINQ. German users will have a possibility to continue using the instrument at SINQ. Despite the severe restrictions due to the corona pandemic the truck with Falcon equipment has arrived at PSI on July 1 (upper photo).

A Laue camera allowing for fast orientation of single crystals has been missing at SINQ since the beginning. Using the detectors of the original E11 diffractometer from HZB, we will build a modern and versatile instrument at SINQ. Falcon, standing for Fast Acquisition Laue Camera for Neutrons, will allow to quickly assess the quality of single crystals at SINQ, and to align them in specific directions, thus saving a lot of beamtime and work effort at other instruments. The idea is to be able to use the Falcon instrument setup also for different optical applications, and as a test station for components of the future fundamental neutron physics instrument at the ESS.

At the moment, the instrument area of future Falcon Instrument is being under construction (lower photo), with a plan to be finished by May 2021. The instrument commissioning is planned for September 2022.