Experimental absorption corrections for highly absorbing europium compounds in powder neutron diffraction.

Abstract

For materials with strong neutron absorption, such as europium (Eu), the absorption correction method is important but difficult to manage. This is because Eu has a strong isotope dependence. The energy dependence of absorption is also complex, making it even more difficult to handle in a time-of-flight neutron diffractometer, where wavelength varies with the time of flight. Experimental measurement of the transmittance of a sample using a vanadium plate, possibly due to unexpected experimental conditions, allowed more accurate structural analysis than absorption correction based on theoretically calculated absorption cross sections.