Visibility evaluation of a neutron grating interferometer operated with a polychromatic thermal neutron beam

Visibility evaluation of neutron gratings for a polychromatic thermal neutron beam was performed for a neutron grating interferometer. Four sets of neutron gratings designed for neutron wavelengths of 2.0 Å, 2.7 Å, 3.5 Å, and 4.4 Å were fabricated and tested to find the neutron grating interferometer setup with maximum visibility. The measurements were carried out at the thermal neutron beamline of the Ex-core Neutron irradiation Facility (ENF) of the High-flux Advanced Neutron Application Reactor. The maximum visibility was obtained at the neutron grating set designed for a neutron wavelength of 2.7 Å among the four sets, and the visibility was 9.7%. The experimental data can be the basis for an optimization of the neutron grating interferometer at the thermal neutron beamline, and can be further optimized for neutron dark-field imaging with high spatial resolution and a shorter data acquisition time.