Data reduction for time-of-flight small-angle neutron scattering with virtual neutrons

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) is used to characterize material structures in the nanometer to micrometer range. The solution of the structural model constructed from SANS strongly depends on the accuracy of the reduced data. The time-of-flight (TOF) SANS measurements are dependent on the wavelength of the pulsed neutron source. Therefore, data reduction must be handled carefully to transform measured neutron events into neutron scattering intensities. In this study, reduction algorithms for TOF SANS data were developed and optimized using simulated data from virtual neutrons. Each possible effect on the measured data was studied systematically, and suitable corrections were performed to obtain high-quality data. This work will facilitate scientific research and the instrument design at the China Spallation Neutron Source.