Neutrons 101

Properties of Neutrons
 What is a neutron?
• The neutron is a subatomic particle with no net
electric charge.
Nucleus
• Neutrons are usually bound (via strong nuclear
force) in atomic nuclei. Nuclei consist of protons
and neutrons—both known as nucleons.
• The number of protons determines the element & the
number of neutrons determines the isotope, e.g.
15N and 14N have 7p and 8n and 7n respectively.
 Instability of free neutron
and mass
• Free neutrons are unstable; they undergo
b-decay, lifetime ~ 885.7 ± 0.8 s.
• They cannot be stored for long free!
• n0 → p+ + e− + νe
• Mass is slightly larger than that of a
proton
 Neutrons have a spin
• Spin, s, is a quantum number: neutrons are spin-half, s=1/2
• Angular momentum S   s( s  1)
• Particles with angular momentum have a magnetic moment, 
q
g S
2m
Spin Angular Momentum Moment
s S 

Note: Although neutral, q = 0, the neutron is made up of quarks—

electrically charged particles. The magnetic moment of the neutron is
ultimately derived from the angular momentum of spins of the
individual quarks and of their orbital motions.
 Electrons have a spin too.
• Orbital and spin (s = 1/2) angular momentum give rise to moments and
magnetism
mL

ms

• Neutron and electron moments can interact – neutrons are sensitive to

magnetic moments in solids!
 Characterizing Neutrons By….
Neutron Conversion Factors
E k  T  v
-1
1 meV cm THz K Å ms-1
E meV 1 8.006 0.2418 11.605 9.045 437.4
k cm-1 0.1240 1 0.02998 1.439 25.68 154.05
 THz 4.136 33.336 1 48.00 4.447 889.5
T K 8.616e-2 0.6949 2.083e -2
1 30.81 128.4
 Å 81.807 659.8 19.78 949.4 1 3956
v ms-1 5.227e-6 4.216e -5
1.265e -6
6.066e-5
3956 1
Key
Linear 1 THz  4.136 meV E = 4.136 v
Reciprocal 1 Å  3956 ms -1
v = 3956/
Square-reciprocal 1 Å  19.78 THz  = 19.78/2
Root 1 meV  437.4 ms-1 v = 437.4E
Root-reciprocal 1 meV  9.045 Å = 4.447/ v
Square 1 ms  5.227e meV
-1 -6
E = (m/2)v2

2 2 2
h 1 2 k
E E  h E  kBT E  mv E 
2m2 2 2m
 Neutron Sources
Neutrons must be liberated from their bonds

Binding energy of the nuclei ~MeV

 a-particles with light elements
Discovery of the Neutron
• Neutrons are produced when a-particles hit
1930 Walther low-Z
several Bothe and found that a-particles
H. Beckerincluding
isotopes those of
emitted from Po fell on certain light elements a highly
Be, C, O. As an example, a representative
penetrating radiation was produced: (a, n).
a-Be neutron source produces ~30 neutrons
1932 Irène
for Joliot-Curie
every million anda-particles.
Frédéric Joliot showed that if
this unknown radiation fell on hydrogenous compounds it
• e.g.,very
ejected PuBe.
high-energy protons (n, p).

1932 James Chadwick showed that the g-ray hypothesis was

untenable and that the new radiation was uncharged particles
of approximately the mass of the proton.
 Fission Reactor
• U235 + n (thermal)
• ~2 MeV neutrons produced
– Fission neutrons move at ~7%
of the speed of light
– Moderated (thermal) neutrons
move at ~8 times the speed of
sound. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Fission_chain_reaction.svg

• This is around 7700 times slower!

 Spallation Source
• Spallation=“blowing chunks” (p,n)
• hydride ion (H-) source  proton accelerators
 targets  moderators  instruments

http://www.isis.rl.ac.uk/
Moderation/Slowing-down
-neutrons as particles (“gas”)
 Maxwellian
• Distribution of velocities of particles as f(T)
– neutrons behave like a gas.
• Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution-the most
probable speed distribution in a collisionally-
dominated system consisting of a large number of
non-interacting particles.
– describes the neutron spectrum to a good approximation
(ignoring -dependent absorption).
E  kBT
1 2 Moderators
E  mv
2
• Light nuclei + low absorption.
• elastic
An collision
Elastic* is a collision
collisions in whichthe
between the total kineticand
nucleus
energy of the colliding bodies after collision is equal to their
totalthe neutron
kinetic transfer
energy before energy.
collision.*
• Moderated neutrons take on the average
kinetic energy of the moderator, set by its T.
How many collisions are necessary to moderate
a 2MeV fission neutron to a 1eV neutron?
~16 for light water, which take place in about 30
cm of travel. Simon Steinmann, Raul Roque: Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5
 Moderators & the Maxwellian
h2
E
2m2 lambda (Angstrom) Note:
3.956

1.978

1.319

0.989

0.791

0.659

0.565

0.495

0.440

0.396

0.360

0.330

0.304

0.283

0.264
Hot source increases
--

0.0016
the number of
0.0014 high-E (v2), short-
0.0012 neutrons, but does so
by spreading out the
Maxwellian Distribution

0.0010 Cold Source H2 20K

NRU D2O 333K dist’n, thereby
0.0008 Hot Source Graphite 2303K
reducing the flux at
0.0006
any ,(or v, or E, ….).
0.0004

0.0002
Cold source reduces
the spread to only very
long  and increases
0.0000
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000
velocity (m/s) 1 2 the flux at those 
E  mv
2
 Wave-Particle
Neutrons have a
Duality wavelength

• de Broglie hypothesis: all matter has a wave-like nature

• Neutrons have an associated wavelength, , diffract and
have wave-like properties h
E  h ;  
mv
• Wavenumber: we will meet wavevector shortly

2 2k 2
Strictly E
k “angular” 2m
 wavenumber

r
h ~ Planck' s constant; m ~ mass; v ~ velocity; mv ~ momentum;
 ~ wavelengt h;  ~ frequency; k ~ wavenumber
 Waves

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Plane_wave.gif http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Spherical_wave2.gif
 Plane Waves
• A constant-frequency wave whose
wavefronts (surfaces of constant phase) are
infinite parallel planes of constant
amplitude normal to the wavevector, k.

• Physical solution u(x, t )  Aexp ik.x  wt

• General form (u(x, t ))  A cosk.x  wt
where k is the wavevector, t time, w angular
frequency, assuming a real amplitude, A
 Wavevector
u(x, t )  Aexp ik.x  wt

(u(x, t ))  A cosk.x  wt

Assumes a real
• Cross-section at a snapshot in time (t = 0) amplitude

• |k| = k = 2/,where distance is the between two wavefronts

u(x)
c.f. your handouts!


A monochromatic neutron beam is characterized by a plane wave with a single
wavevector
 k Huygens-Fresnel Principle
Each point of an
advancing wave front
is the centre of a fresh
disturbance and the
source of a new train
of waves. The
advancing wave is the
sum of all secondary
waves arising from
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Christiaan_Huygens-painting.jpeg

Christiaan Huygens
points in the medium
1629-1695 already traversed.
A classical, very simple way of seeing the relationship
Plane wave passing through a 4-slit:
between plane wave (beams) and spherical waves
Note secondary spherical wave sources
(scattering from individual particles)
 Ocean plane waves passing
through slits

http://www.physics.gatech.edu/gcuo/UltrafastOptics/OpticsI/lectures/OpticsI-20-Diffraction-I.ppt
 Spherical Waves
• Wave energy is conserved as wave propagates
• Energy of the wavefront spreads (radiates) out
over the spherical surface area, 4r2.

 Energy/unit area decreases as 1/r2.

• Since energyintensity E  Amplitude2.

Amplitude of a spherical wave  1/r

 Interaction Strength
Neutrons interact via the strong nuclear force
(nuclear scattering).
 What is a
scattering length? Spherical wave

• Nucleus is a point with respect to . 10-10m

• Treat the incoming monochromatic neutron beam
10-15m as a plane wave of neutrons with single k
• Neutrons scatter from individual nuclei
(secondary source):
– independently of angle as spherical waves
– scattered wave amplitude   1/r
• Proportionality constant: b – scattering length
b
  exp(ikr)
r
 Scattering Length, b
• Can be positive or negative!
• A positive b can be explained simply in terms of an impenetrable
nucleus which the n cannot enter – D ~ 180°.
• A negative b is due to “n + nucleus” forming a compound nucleus – D
~ 0°.

• More generally, b is complex b = b’+ ib”– the b” imaginary component

is related to absorption and is frequency-dependent.
Scattering Length, b  Cross-section, s
 ( r ) ( r ) * defines a probability density
of finding neutron at r from the nucleus

The surface area of

a sphere at radius, r
b
  exp(ikr)
r 4r 2

s  4r  *  4r   4 b
2 2 2 2

Not forgetting our identities:

exp( ikr)  cos( kr)  i sin( kr)
cos2 (kr)  sin 2 (kr)  1
 Cross-section
U is “as big as a barn.”

• The interaction probability is the likelihood of a

point-projectile hitting the target area (the cross
section, σ).
• Each nucleus thought of as being surrounded by a
a characteristic area.
• Barn = 10−28 m2, ~ the cross sectional area of U.
• Cross-sections for different processes: scattering,
absorption, fission…
• They are not constant, but energy-dependent

There are also units of sheds, and outhouses…but not used for neutrons….
Energy dependence of Note:
• Resonances at
cross sections high-energy
• Constant
plateau of
scattering
cross-section
• Strong (1/v)
dependence
of absorption
Epithermal

– related to
Thermal

Cold Fast the time spent

near the
nucleus
(probability
of capture).
 An absorber: 113Cd

Shielding materials:

1) Moderators e.g. H
Fast thermalize fast
neutrons
Resonances 2) Attenuators: e.g. H
Good neutron shielding
strong scatterers -
like a diffusing
Thermal

screen (pearl light

bulb)
Epithermal

Cold 2) Thermal absorbers

Cd, 10B, Gd (6Li)

ENDF/B-VII Incident-Neutron Data – 60pp for 113Cd!

http://t2.lanl.gov/data/neutron7.html
 Coherent & Incoherent Scattering
• Scattering nucleus at a given position in a crystal may be either:
(i) different isotope
(ii) different nuclear spin state
[(iii) different element (diffuse scattering)]

• Mean measure of expected value - coherent scattering

– interference effects – average structure – Bragg diffraction
• Std deviation measure of dispersion - incoherent scattering
– “spin”/“isotopic” – single particle dynamics

bco  E (b)  b   xi bi

 xi bi  ( xi bi 
2 2
binc  Var(b)  E (b 2 )  E (b) 2 
..which leads to comparison to X-
ray scattering
 X-rays and Neutrons

• X-rays scatter from the electron cloud

(r~10-10m) surrounding the atom
• Neutrons scatter from atomic nuclei
(r~10-14-10-15m) influenced by neutron-
nuclear force.

 2 important differences
 X-rays and Neutrons
- Difference 1

• X-rays scatter from the electron cloud:

ss  Z2.
• Neutrons scatter from atomic nuclei:
ss ~ isotope-dependent
 X-rays and Neutrons
- Difference 2
• ~10-10m [Å] (for both neutrons and X-rays)
• X-rays scatter from the electron cloud (r~10-10m) [Å]
• Neutrons scatter from atomic nuclei (r~10-14-10-15m) [fm]
Four orders of magnitude:
Nucleus: 
is as
Deep-River—Pembroke: Earth—Moon
Nuclei are point scatterers wrt .
 Form Factors
• The form factor, f(Q) is the Fourier
Transform of the scattering density r(r)
– for neutrons it is in the form of a d-function
– for X-rays the electron cloud distribution.


f (Q)   r (r ) expi Q rdr
0
 X-ray atomic form factors

Low angles, High angles,

little path difference greater path difference

10-12cm X-ray: Destructive interference

5 is possible at high angles
4 due to finite size of electron cloud
3  form factor
X-ray
2 Neutron: Nucleus is orders of
1 magnitude smaller than neutron
Neutron wavelength
1
(Sin q)/ 108cm-1  no form factor

K-atom
 Summary
• Spin, charge etc
• Energy, velocity, wavelength
• Moderation
• Cross section, scattering length
• X-rays vs. neutrons