Atomic structure holography using thermal neutrons

The idea of atomic-resolution holography has its roots in the X-ray work of Bragg(1) and in Gabor's electron interference microscope(2). Gabor's lensless microscope was not realized in his time, but over the past twelve years there has been a steady increase in the number of reports on atomic-resolution holography. All of this work involves the use of electrons(3-6) or hard X-rays(7-11) to produce the hologram. Neutrons are often unique among scattering probes in their interaction with materials: for example, the relative visibility of hydrogen and its isotopes is a great advantage in the study of polymers and biologically relevant materials. Recent work(12) proposed that atomic-resolution holography could be achieved with thermal neutrons. Here we use monochromatic thermal neutrons, adopting the inside-source concept of Szoke(13), to image planes of oxygen atoms located above and below a single hydrogen atom in the oxide mineral simpsonite(14).