(ORNL: Oak Ridge, TN) — The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory added a neutron-scattering instrument to its powerhouse of discovery at the Spallation Neutron Source, charting new territory for neutron imaging through artificial intelligence. Last July, the DOE’s Office of Science approved the final commissioning of the Versatile Neutron Imaging Instrument, or VENUS.
“It’s a dream come true,” says ORNL neutron-scattering scientist Hassina Bilheux. “It has been an honor and privilege to work with so many talented people dedicated to seeing VENUS through.”
No other research technique can nondestructively produce such results in 3D with precise information on atomic structure. Neutrons accomplish this because they pass easily through materials without damaging them. Neutron imaging scientists can probe thick samples, generate 3D images, and build more complete microscale models of materials based on how neutrons scatter or bounce off atoms.
ORNL neutron-scattering scientist Hassina Bilheux points to equipment inside VENUS. Credit: Sumner Brown Gibbs/ORNL, U.S. Department of Energy
“It takes a village to create such a complex instrument, and our entire ORNL team is very dedicated, which I’m very thankful for and very proud of,” Bilheux says. “Now she’s ready—it’s time to come try things and push the limits of the instrument.”
In addition, VENUS will feature advanced computational methods that make the most of neutron beam time. During experiments, VENUS’s instrument scientists and users will use AI to produce 3D models of samples from time-of-flight raw data in significantly fewer measurements. Instead of experimenters waiting days or even weeks for 3D models of their samples from multiple radiographs, or images of internal form, research teams will have what they came for by the time they wrap up their experiments.
The journey toward VENUS began in 2006 when Bilheux conceived an idea to create a neutron-scattering instrument with enhanced imaging contrast for studying crystalline and amorphous samples at the atomic scale without damaging them. As an example, a NASA researcher, assisted by ORNL instrument scientists on the MARS beamline at ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor, or HFIR, used neutrons to study extremely fragile moon rocks from Apollo missions. Together, NASA and the MARS team produced a high-resolution virtual rendering of the rocks to complement later measurements at VENUS. In the future, VENUS will help researchers understand the mineral content in the rocks for clues about early planetary formations and where we might find water on the moon.
VENUS also provides a platform for the United States to take a leadership role in the developing field of neutron imaging.
“We’re very thankful for collaborating with our X-ray colleagues on this AI project,” Bilheux says. “This partnership helped set the stage for high-quality research results we expect will be game-changing in materials science.”
