Using polycrystalline bismuth filter in an ultracold neutron source with superfluid helium

Placing polycrystalline bismuth filter in front of an ultracold neutron (UCN) source with superfluid helium at 1 K is shown to be effective. The use of this filter ensures a 30-fold decrease (down to 0.5 W) in the level of heat load in the UCN source, while reducing by 30% the flux of neutrons with 9-Å wavelength (which are converted into UCNs). The phenomenon of small-angle scattering on polycrystalline bismuth has been studied and shown to be insignificant. Cooling of the filter to liquid nitrogen temperature increases the transmission of 9-Å neutrons by only 8%; hence, creation of this cooling system is inexpedient. A project of a technological complex designed for the UCN source at the PIK reactor is presented, which ensures the removal of 1-W heat load from the UCN source with superfluid helium at a 1-K temperature level.