Questions tagged [neutrons]
The neutron is a subatomic particle, with no net electric charge and a mass slightly larger than that of a proton. It is a fermion of spin $\frac 1 2$; a hadron, that is it interacts strongly; and a nucleon, that is a crucial component of atomic nuclei.
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Why are nuclei with large numbers of neutrons only stable with correspondingly large numbers of protons? [duplicate]
Large numbers of protons need to be separated by neutrons, otherwise they repel....
But why do nuclei with large of numbers of neutrons only remain stable with a relatively, correspondingly large ...
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Fast neutron scattering in a neutron cloud
Will a 200 MeV neutron emitted into a neutron cloud undergo similar scattering interactions as one that is emitted into a water moderator with the resulting decreases in energy?
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Doppler broadening and Voigt profile
The shape of an isolated neutron resonance at incident neutron energy, $E_{R}$, can to first-order be represented by the single-level Breit-Wigner (SLBW) formalism, which is equivalent to a Lorentzian ...
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Why is water a good neutron absorber?
I've seen this question asked multiple times, and the answer is never detailed. I initially assumed that either hydrogen or oxygen had relatively large neutron absorption cross sections, however that ...
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Can sub-uranic elements produce a nuclear explosion if they are exposed to an extreme neutron flux? [closed]
I believe that the gun-type nuclear bomb dropped on Japan used a neutron flux generator to help its uranium go critical.
I also believe that while sub-uranic elements can undergo fission, they always ...
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Neutron star vs. Islands of stability
"Neutron stars" are said to be almost entirely composed of neutrons. The islands of stability principle recognizes an upper limit to the number of neutrons that can be introduced to an atom. ...
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Does this experiment put an end to Copenhagen (and all epistolar) interpretations of QM?
The article from April 2022 in PhysRev Research is about the famous double slit experiment (Mach Zehnder variant) made with single neutrons and it proves that there is definitely something in both ...
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Question on finding nuclear ground state spins using shell model
So I'm studying the shell model and I understand where the individual nucleon energy levels come from (Woods-Saxon plus spin-orbit interaction), but I'm stumped on how to find the ground state total ...
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Can Quarks and Gluons Escape from Protons and Neutrons?
An answer to a related question described protons and neutrons as made up of a "sea of quarks, anti-quarks, gluons, ...." with a net makeup to provide either a unit charge or no net charge. ...
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Nuclear fusion reactors and neutrons
The majority of energy produced by nuclear fusion is harnessed by neutrons or protons that split out from the product.
Given the dominant fusion method today is Deuterium + Tritium which produces He ...
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Conversion of Reich-Moore resonance parameters to neutron cross section?
For the Single-Level Breit-Wigner (SLBW) formula, the peak resonant neutron cross section is related to the total width, $\Gamma = \Gamma_{(n)} + \Sigma_{r}\Gamma_{(r)}$, reported as GT in ENDF. For ...
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How can there be superconducting protons and neutrons inside an incredibly hot neutron star?
It is hard enough for me to try to wrap my head around the idea of superconducting particles other than electrons (especially neutrons!), ....
Given the insanely hot temperatures inside a neutron star ...
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Do the free neutrons in a neutron star sometimes decay and immediately re-form?
Is there any way of confirming this, one way or the other? Would it affect any of the star's 'observeables', so to speak?
I know that two similar questions are up on Stack Exchange-physics, and I ...
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How hard is disabling nuke by making it go fizzle with neutron radiation?
Suppose we would turn on nuclear reactor without shielding next to missile silo. Would it be able to protect silo by making incoming warhead fizzle out at reasonable distance?
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Looks like it is ...
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Why can protons and neutrons be close together in a nucleus despite the uncertainty principle?
Vol II, Chapter 1 of the Feynman Lectures explains why negative electrons do not get closer to the positively charged nucleus despite the great attractive force:
If we try to confine our electrons in ...
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