Atoms and molecules and also the spin of magnetic atoms exhibit various kinds of individual or collective motions inside matter. In crystals collective modes of vibrations are called phonons and magnons and they play a major role in many of their physical properties. These excitations are responsible for the so-called inelastic scattering of neutrons, a phenomenon which is conveniently observed using neutron three-axis spectrometers (TAS).
Understanding TAS measurements requires the translation between instrument positions in real space and neutron scattering conditions represented in reciprocal space. Furthermore, due to their non-trivial resolution function, measurements on triple-axis spectrometers require extra care from the experimentalist in order to obtain optimal results and to avoid unwanted spurious artefacts.
Takin is a free and open-source software system that aims to ease many of the tasks encountered during the planning phase, in the execution and in data treatment of experiments performed on neutron triple-axis spectrometers. The software can be configured to work with any triple-axis instruments and instrument control systems.
