Z 0 1 2

n n H He 3 4
0
1
H Li Be 5 6
1
1
n
2
H
3
He
4
Li
5
Be B C 7
2
2
n
3
H
4
He
5
Li
6
Be
7
B
8
C N 8
3
4
H
5
He
6
Li
7
Be
8
B
9
C
10
N O 9
4
4
n
5
H
6
He
7
Li
8
Be
9
B
10
C
11
N
12
O F 10
5
6
H
7
He
8
Li
9
Be
10
B
11
C
12
N
13
O
14
F Ne 11
6
7
H
8
He
9
Li
10
Be
11
B
12
C
13
N
14
O
15
F
16
Ne Na 12
7
9
He
10
Li
11
Be
12
B
13
C
14
N
15
O
16
F
17
Ne
18
Na Mg 13
8
10
He
11
Li
12
Be
13
B
14
C
15
N
16
O
17
F
18
Ne
19
Na
20
Mg Al 14
9
12
Li
13
Be
14
B
15
C
16
N
17
O
18
F
19
Ne
20
Na
21
Mg
22
Al Si
10
14
Be
15
B
16
C
17
N
18
O
19
F
20
Ne
21
Na
22
Mg
23
Al
24
Si
11
16
B
17
C
18
N
19
O
20
F
21
Ne
22
Na
23
Mg
24
Al
25
Si
12
18
C
19
N
20
O
21
F
22
Ne
23
Na
24
Mg
25
Al
26
Si
13
20
N
21
O
22
F
23
Ne
24
Na
25
Mg
26
Al
27
Si
14
22
O
23
F
24
Ne
25
Na
26
Mg
27
Al
28
Si
Neutron emitters to left of lower dashed line
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Neutron emission is a type of
radioactive decay of atoms
containing excess neutrons, in
which a neutron is simply ejected
from the nucleus. Two examples
of isotopes which emit neutrons
are beryllium-13 (mean life
2.710
21
s) and helium-5
(710
22
s).
Neutron emission usually
happens from nuclei that are in
an excited state, such as the
excited O-17* produced from the
beta decay of N-17. The neutron
emission process itself is
controlled by the nuclear force
and therefore is extremely fast,
sometimes referred to as "nearly
instantaneous". The ejection of
the neutron may be as a product
of the movement of many
nucleons, but it is ultimately
mediated by the repulsive action
of the nuclear force that exists at
extremely short-range distances
between nucleons. The life time of an ejected neutron inside the nucleus before it is emitted is usually
comparable to the flight time of a typical neutron before it leaves the small nuclear "potential well", or about
10
23
seconds.
[1]
A synonym for such neutron emission is "prompt neutron" production, of the type that is best
known to occur simultaneously with induced nuclear fission. Many heavy isotopes, most notably
californium-252, also emit prompt neutrons among the products of a similar spontaneous radioactive decay
process, spontaneous fission.
Most neutron emission outside prompt neutron production associated with fission (either induced or
spontaneous), is from neutron-heavy isotopes produced as fission products. These neutrons are sometimes
emitted with a delay, giving them the term delayed neutrons, but the actual delay in their production is a delay
waiting for the beta decay of fission products to produce the excited-state nuclear precursors that immediately
undergo prompt neutron emission. Thus, the delay in neutron emission is not from the neutron-production
process, but rather its precursor beta decay which is controlled by the weak force, and thus requires a far longer
time. The beta decay half lives for the precursors to delayed neutron-emitter radioisotopes, are typically
fractions of a second to tens of seconds.
Nevertheless, the delayed neutrons emitted by neutron-rich fission products aid control of nuclear reactors by
making reactivity change far more slowly than it would if it were controlled by prompt neutrons alone.
Neutron emission - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_emission
1 of 2 10.2.2014 6:46
Neutron radiation
Proton emission
^ "Neutron emission lifetime and why" (http://newenergytimes.com/v2/library/2000/2000Li-Sub-BarrierFusion.pdf)
(PDF). Retrieved 2012-09-17.
1.
The LIVEChart of Nuclides - IAEA (http://www-nds.iaea.org/livechart) with filter on delayed
neutron emission decay
Nuclear Structure and Decay Data - IAEA (http://www-nds.iaea.org/queryensdf) with query
on Neutron Separation Energy
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neutron_emission&oldid=578074480"
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