Charge neutrality, a spin 1/2 and an associated magnetic moment of the neutron make it an ideal probe of quantal spinor evolutions. Polarized neutron interferometry in magnetic field Hamiltonians has thus scored several firsts such as direct verification of Pauli anticommutation, experimental separation of geometric and dynamical phases and observation of non-cyclic amplitudes and phases. This paper provides a flavour of the physics learnt from such experiments.

Using a right-angled magnetic air prism, we have achieved a separation of ∼10 arcsec between ∼2 arcsec wide up and down-spin peaks of 5.4 Å neutrons. The polarised neutron option has thus been introduced into the SUSANS instrument. Strongly spindependent SUSANS spectra have been observed over ±1.3 × 10⁻⁴ Å⁻¹ range for several magnetic alloy samples. Spatial pair-distribution functions for the up and down-spins as well as the nuclear and magnetic scattering length density distributions in the micrometer domain, have been deduced from these spectra.

We propose an order of magnitude improvement in the present five parts in 10⁵ precision of a nondispersive interferometric measurement of the neutron coherent scattering lengthb_c. For this purpose we make a judicious selection of the Bragg angle for the interferometer and the sample thickness. The precision is further improved by an optimal choice of the Bragg reflection (and a consequent neutron wavelength). By performing the experiment in vacuum, errors arising from possible variations in the pressure, composition or humidity of the ambient air can be eliminated. On attaining such precision, we ought to account for the neutron beam refraction at the sample-ambient interfaces, to infer the correctb_c from the observed phase. The formula for the phase used hitherto is approximate and would significantly overestimateb_c. The refractive index for neutrons can thus be determined to a phenomenal precision of a few parts in 10¹².

While studying neutron deflections produced by a magnetic prism, we have stumbled upon a simple ‘geometric’ formula. For a prism of refractive indexn close to unity, the deflection simply equals the product of the refractive powern − 1 and the base-to-height ratio of the prism, regardless of the apex angle. The base and height of the prism are measured respectively along and perpendicular to the direction of beam propagation within the prism. The geometric formula greatly simplifies the optimisation of prism parameters to suit any specific experiment.

We have derived analytic expressions for the deflection as well as transmitted fraction of monochromatic neutrons forward diffracted by a single crystal prism. In the vicinity of a Bragg reflection, the neutron deflection deviates sharply from that for an amorphous prism, exhibiting three orders of magnitude greater sensitivity to the incidence angle. We have measured the variation of neutron deflection and transmission across a Bragg reflection, for several single crystal prisms. The results agree well with theory.

The spin of a polarized neutron beam subjected to a partial projection in another direction, traces a geodesic arc in the 2-sphere ray space. We delineate the geometric phase resulting from two successive partial projections on a general quantal state and derive the direction and strength of the third partial projection that would close the geodesic triangle. The constraint for the three successive partial projections to be identically equivalent to a net spin rotation regardless of the initial state, is derived.

We have designed, fabricated and operated a novel Bragg prism monochromator–analyser combination. With a judicious choice of the Bragg reflection, its asymmetry and the apex angle of the silicon single crystal prism, the monochromator has produced a neutron beam with sub-arcsec collimation. A Bragg prism analyser with the opposite asymmetry has been tailored to accept a still sharper angular profile. With this optimized monochromator–analyser pair, we have attained the narrowest and sharpest neutron angular profile to date. At this facility, we have recorded the first SUSANS spectra spanning wave vector transfers $Q \sim 10^{−6}$ Å^-1 to characterize samples containing agglomerates up to tens of micrometres in size.