Photopolymerizable Nanocomposite Gratings for Holographic Control of Slow Neutron Beams

We report on the fabrication of novel nanocomposite gratings for holographic control of slow neutron beams. Plane-wave transmission gratings are recorded in photopolymerizable nanocomposite materials where nanoparticles are holographically assembled by visible light in a photopolymerizable monomer host. This all-optical assembling method provides the single step formation of large scale and multi-dimensional photonic lattice structures. Because nanoparticles and monomer can be selected for suitable applications, this nanocomposite material can be used not only for light beams but also for neutron beams. Here we show the use of surface-treated nanodiamonds and superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles to record holographic transmission gratings for controlling a slow-neutron beam and selecting its spin states.