Neutron Physics

Discovery of neutron
Experiments by Bothe and Becker
Curie and Joliot
James CHADWICK

Properties of the Neutron

Electrically neutral
Free neutron is unstable against decay, T1/2 is 10.6 min

Its mass is slightly large than proton (1.2934 MeV)

Possess magnetic diploe moment -1.91340 N
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Neutron Sources
Alpha-Beryllium Source

Spontaneous Fission

Radium-Beryllium
Californium-252 (2.65 y)
Polonium-Beryllium (138 d) Nuclear Reactions
Plutonium-Beryllium (86 y)
3H(d, n)4He (17.6 MeV)
Americium-Beryllium (458 y)
9Be(, n)12C (5.7 MeV)
Photo neutron Sources
7Li(p, n)7Be (-1.6 MeV)
Gamma rays from 24Na (15 h)
2H(d, n)3He (3.3 MeV)
Gamma rays from 124Sb (60 d) Reactor Sources

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Neutron Absorption and Moderation

Neutron are produced as fast neutrons in a
reactor as a result of chain fission
Fast neutrons disappear through many reactions
like (n, p), (n, ), (n, 2n), ...
The neutron loss their energy by making
collisions (elastic and inelastc scattering) with
the nuclei of moderating medium
Thermal neutrons are removed primarily through
(n, ) reaction
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Neutron Absorption and Moderation (Cont.)

Neutron attenuation
Neutron are produced as
fast neutrons in a reactor
as a result of chain fission
When these neutron pass
through a material, some
them are removed from
the beam by scattering or
absorption

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dI I t Ndx
I I0 e

t x

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Neutron Absorption and Moderation (Cont.)

Elastics Scattering
In case of elastic scattering, the ratio of energy
of scattered neutron to that of incident is:
E ' A2 1 2 A cos

E
A 1 2

The values of E/E are uniformly distributed

between minimum and maximum values.
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Neutron Absorption and Moderation (Cont.)

Characteristics of Elastics Scattering

For neutron energy of about 10 MeV and below, the

scattering is s wave scattering and is independent of .
Maximum Energy Loss occurs for = 180
The ratio of energy of scattered neutron to and the
incident neutron for the case of maximum energy
2

E
'
A

1
transferred is called collision
Parameter

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min

A 1

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Neutron Absorption and Moderation (Cont.)

Quantitative Calculations of Energy Loss
Each neutron scatter many
N(E)
times, so repeated
calculations are needed for
energy loss
0
0.2
0.4
In second collision, the
neutrons are no longer
N(E)
monoenergetic
This effect is counted for by
dividing the energy spectrum
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
into small intervals of E
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0.6

0.8

0.8

1.0
E/E

1.0
E/E

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Neutron Absorption and Moderation (Cont.)

Quantitative Calculations of Energy Loss

E
log
E '

av

( A 1) 2
d
log 2

A 1 2 A cos

d
( A 1) 2
A 1
1
log
2A
A 1
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Neutron Absorption and Moderation (Cont.)

Energy decrement after n collisions

E
log
E '

av

log E log E

log E log E n

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'

'
n

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Neutron Absorption and Moderation (Cont.)

Moderating properties of various nuclei
Nucleus

N (for thermalization)

1.00

18

0.725

25

He

0.425

43

0.158

110

0.0084

2200

12

238

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Neutron Absorption and Moderation (Cont.)

Maxwellian Distribution of thermal neutrons

f ( E )dE
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2 n

kT

3/ 2

1/ 2 E / kT

E e

dE
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