Triple-axis spectrometers worldwide
14 cold and 18 thermal instruments at seven facilities.
Cold and thermal triple-axis spectrometers at reactor sources, grouped by facility. Instrument names link to the facility's own page, where beam-time application details live. The comparison page puts monochromators, flux, analyzers, polarization and filters side by side.
Institut Laue-Langevin France
ThALEScold
FlatCone option; high-magnetic-field compatible; new multiplexed option Marmot under commissioning; polarised neutrons including CRYOPAD.
IN12cold
CRYOPAD option; high-magnetic-field compatible (including half-polarized measurements); the multiblade analyser option UFO is still in commissioning. CRG instrument.
IN8thermal
FlatCone option; double-focusing monochromator and analyzers; automatic change between four monochromators; Si monochromators are elastically bent; secondary spectrometer upgraded in 2020 (ThermES: a compact single double-focusing analyzer and single detector, optimized to minimize parasitic background).
IN20thermal
CRYOPAD; PASTIS; FlatCone; high-magnetic-field compatible; velocity selector and sapphire filter; also uses 3He polarized filters (PASTIS set-up).
IN22thermal
Neutron spin-echo option (ZETA); CRYOPAD; high-magnetic-field compatible; 40 T pulsed-field option. CRG instrument.
NIST Center for Neutron Research USA
MACScold
Unique multi-analyzer secondary spectrometer with 20 double-bounce PG (002) segments; dedicated cold source; polarization via 3He cells (vertical-field polarization only).
SPINScoldto be replaced by POLAR
Analyzer composed of 11 individually controlled blades for horizontal focusing. To be replaced by POLAR, a design similar to MANTA.
BT-7thermal
Double-focusing monochromator; high-magnetic-field compatible; polarized neutrons (3He cells); dilution-refrigerator compatible; position-sensitive detector option.
Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (FRM II) Germany
PANDAcold
BAMBUS multianalyser under commissioning: 100 Q-E channels (20 x 5); high magnetic fields (coordinated with nearby instruments). Note: no cold neutrons at MLZ before 2027 (cold-source renovation).
KOMPASScoldin commissioning
Permanently polarized spectrometer: a V-cavity in the incident beam provides more than 96 % polarization between 1.5 and 15 meV. Cannot use magnets.
LaDiffcoldunder construction (replaces MIRA)
Versatile instrument enabling triple-axis and NRSE, complementary to TRISP; solid-state bender; extreme environments (pressure and magnetic fields); multianalyser with 155 Q-E channels (31 x 5). Upgrade of the former FLEXX (HZB) instrument. MIRA has been disassembled and removed.
PUMAthermal
Automatic monochromator changer; double-focusing monochromators; analyzers with fixed vertical and variable horizontal focus. Unique multi-analyzer system for unpolarized multiplexing and uniaxial polarization analysis: FeSi deflectors after the sample separate spin-flip and non-spin-flip; event-mode data collection for stroboscopic measurements.
TRISPthermalunder reconstruction
Specialised in neutron resonant spin echo and Larmor diffraction; own dedicated dilution refrigerator. Under reconstruction (moving to the Neutron Guide Hall East).
Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering (OPAL) Australia
SIKAcold
Polarisation analysis available through 3He. Flux measured by the gold-foil method.
Taipanthermal
Double-focusing monochromator and analyzer; automatic monochromator changer; Be-filter spectrometer option.
Paul Scherrer Institut (SINQ) Switzerland
CAMEAcold
CAMEA multi-analyzer incorporating the prismatic-analyzer concept for continuous coverage of Ef.
TASPcold
Polarization option no longer available; a multiplexed secondary-spectrometer upgrade is expected.
EIGERthermal
Double-focusing monochromator; analyzer with fixed vertical / variable horizontal focus.
High Flux Isotope Reactor, ORNL USA
CTAX (CG-4C)coldto be replaced by MANTA
Will be taken out of the user program and replaced by MANTA after the Be-reflector outage at HFIR.
MANTAcoldplanned
Initial plan: secondary spectrometer interchangeable between a single analyzer/detector and an IRIS-type multiplexed spectrometer with up to 44 channels; a CAMEA-like upgrade is expected later.
HB-1 (PTAX)thermal
Vertically focused monochromator and horizontally focused analyzer; spherical neutron polarimetry option; neutron spin echo / Larmor diffraction.
HB-3 (TAX)thermal
Vertically focused monochromator and vertically focused analyzer.
HB-1A (VERITAS)thermalfixed incident energy
Fixed-incident-energy (Ei = 14.6 meV) thermal triple-axis spectrometer with very low background; not in the working-group comparison table.
Japan Research Reactor 3 (JAEA / ISSP) Japan
JRR-3 web servers were under maintenance when this page was built; instrument links point to the facility.
HER / HODACA (C1-1)cold
Vertically focused monochromator; interchangeable backend: HER, a conventional TAS (one analyzer plus 3He detector), or HODACA, an IRIS-type multiplexed TAS (24 analyzer/detector sets at Ef = 3.635 meV).
LTAS (C2-1)cold
Analyzer composed of 9 blades (individual rotation and horizontal translation to control the gap between blades) for horizontal focusing.
TAS-1 (2G)thermal
Double-focusing Heusler monochromator/analyzer (fixed vertical). Polarized-neutron options: vertical (8.4 T) and horizontal (3 T) magnets, Helmholtz coil, CRYOPAD; 3He spin filter on ki.
GPTAS (4G)thermal
Double-focusing monochromator; analyzer with fixed vertical / variable horizontal focus.
PONTA (5G)thermal
Heusler flat; PG (002) vertically focused monochromator, V/H-focused analyzer; polarized diffraction with 3He spin filter and a small 2D PSD (commissioning).
TOPAN (6G)thermal
Monochromator and analyzer V/H-focused; 3He spin filter (commissioning); double monochromator (commissioning).
HQR (T1-1)thermal
ki fixed; monochromator and analyzer vertically focused; supermirror polarizer option.
AKANE (T1-2)thermal
Vertically focused (fixed); Ei fixed at 20 or 48 meV.
TAS-2 (T2-4)thermal
Monochromator and analyzer vertically focused; Ge monochromator and analyzer (commissioning); non-magnetic shielding for high-field measurements (2 x 10 T vertical, 3 T horizontal).
Source: Thermal TAS Instruments.docx and Cold TAS Instruments.docx (International TAS Working Group, Instrumentation focus team, led by Adam Aczel; entries dated 2026), transcribed Oct 2026. Facility links verified Oct 2026 unless marked.