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Neutral beam microscopy using magnetic beam spin encoding
An alternative approach for achieving resolution in neutral beam microscopes is presented. The reciprocal space approach involves magnetically manipulating the spin of the beam atoms to encode their position and offers favourable scaling of the measurement time with the image resolution.
Different technologies were developed to achieve lateral resolution, including focusing of neutral atoms using bent single crystals 3, 4, quantum reflection from a quartz surface 5, and diffraction from Fresnel zone plates 6, with the latter method leading to the first complete 2d images of a transmission mask 7. If we also allow for much stronger gradient devices and/or use a different particle, such as metastable helium or oxygen, a simple multiplication of the factors mentioned could lead to optimistic predictions of nano-metre lateral resolution, however, there are several issues that will make this very difficult if not impossible and need to be researched further before such a claim can be made. The encoder geometry was designed to fit the physical constraints of the existing MMI setup, have an acceptable degree of gradient inhomogeneity within the region the beam passes through and allow us to perform proof of principle 50 μm resolution profile measurements.
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