The Challenge of Observation on Livings Things by Employing an Ultra Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Method

To address the question as to how small-angle scattering is effectively applied to the cell, i.e., ahierarchically ordered system comprising multi-components of macro and small molecules, the size ofwhich ranges from 100 μm to several μm, we reconstructed SANS-J (pinhole small-angle neutronscattering spectrometer at research reactor JRR3, Tokai) to focusing & polarized neutron small-anglespectrometer (SANS-J-II), by employing focusing neutron lenses and high resolution photomultiplier.Consequently, an accessible minimum wave number qmin was improved from 3×10-3 A-1 to mediumultra-small angle scattering of 3×10-4 A-1. The focusing USANS method, thus developed, is crucialto fill the gap in wave number q between those covered by a double crystal method and by a conventionalpin-hole method.