Neutron scattering

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The term "Neutron Scattering" encompasses all scientific techniques whereby the deflection of neutron particles is used as a scientific probe. It falls into two basic catgories - elastic and inelastic scattering. Put simply elastic scattering is when a neutron interacts with an atom but does not change in energy, rather like a billiard ball. Any process which involves the loss of energy by the neutron is an inelastic process.

For several good reasons, neutrons provide an ideal tool for the study of almost all forms of condensed matter. Firstly, they are readily produced at a nuclear research reactor or a spallation source. Normally in such processes neutrons are however produced with much higher energies than are needed. Therefore moderators are generally used which slow the neutrons down and therefore produce wavelengths that are comparable to the atomic spacing in solids and liquids, and kinetic energies that are comparable to those of dynamic processes in materials. Moderators can be made from Aluminium and filled with liquid hydrogen (for very long wavelength neutrons) or liquid methane (for shorter wavelength neutrons). Fluxes of 10⁷/s - 10⁸/s are not atypical in most neutron sources from any given moderator.

The neutrons cause pronounced interference and energy transfer effects in scattering experiments. Unlike an x-ray photon with a similar wavelength, which interacts with the electron cloud surrounding the nucleus, neutrons interact with the nucleus itself. Because the neutron is an electrically neutral particle, it is deeply penetrating, and is therefore more able to probe the bulk material. Consequently, it enables the use of a wide range of sample environments that are difficult to use with synchrotron x-ray sources. it also has the advantage that the cross sections for interaction do not increase with atomic number as they do with radiation from a synchrotron x-ray source. Thus neutrons can be used to analyse materials with low atomic numbers like proteins and surfactants. This can be done at synchrotron sources but very high intensities are needed which may cause the structures to change. Moreover, the nucleus provides a very short range, isotropic potential varying randomly from isotope to isotope, making it possible to tune the nuclear scattering contrast to suit the experiment:

The neutron has an additional advantage over the x-ray photon in the study of condensed matter. It readily interacts with internal magnetic fields in the sample. In fact, the strength of the magnetic scattering signal is often very similar to that of the nuclear scattering signal in many materials, which allows the simultaneous exploration of both nuclear and magnetic structure. Because the neutron scattering amplitude can be measured in absolute units, both the structural and magnetic properties as measured by neutrons can be compared quantitatively with the results of other characterisation techniques.