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 is the neutron cross section of hydrogen larger than that of deuterium?
The scattering neutron cross section of hydrogen is about $20$ b, five times larger than that of deuterium. The capture cross section of hydrogen is around 3 orders of magnitude higher than that of ...
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What if proton is heavier than neutron? [closed]
What really happens to the atom if proton gets heavier than a neutron. I've heard that proton emits radiation. Plz explain
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Is the Hamiltonian generated by the external magnetic field in the neutron interferometry experiment like "potential energy"?
I believe that the Hamiltonian generated by the external magnetic field in the neutron interferometry experiment effectively leads to an increase in the neutron's potential energy.
Why is this ...
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Free Neutron Decay
I've read that free neutrons can decay into hydrogen, but it's rare because the energy from the decay usually sends the electrons away, unable to bind with the protons. But if trillions of free ...
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Neutron diffusion equation cylinder question
Hi there I was wondering if anyone could help me with how to approach this problem that I have. I'm looking to find the neutron flux outside of a cylindrical container which is made of steel, however ...
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Neutron Dose Rate to Activity Calculation
This is a completely hypothetical question but say I have an unknown radioactive source inside a steel box, given the dimensions of the volumetric source and the container, the neutron dose rate 1m ...
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Do neutrons have a higher entropy than protons?
Since free neutrons want to undergo beta decay into a proton while protons are relatively stable does that mean that neutrons have higher entropy than protons?
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What is an Anderson-Braun neutron counter?
I found this type of tool reading an article ("A neutron monitor with silver activation") but surfing the internet I can not find an explanation of what it is and how it works.
It's probably a basic ...
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Is free neutron decay due to "running out" of something or just by chance?
When a free neutron (as an example) decays is that due perhaps to expending energy or is it because neutrons have some internal state which changes and sometimes that change results in decay?
In the ...
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Nuclear force and binding energy
What i read about binding energy is that it is the energy released when nucleus is formed due to the attraction of the strong nuclear force between nucleons. But even after the nucleus is formed, the ...
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What's with the very slightly larger mass of the neutron compared to the proton?
Neutron mass: 1.008664 u
Proton mass: 1.007276 u
Why the discrepancy?
On a related note, how does one go about measuring the mass of a neutron or proton, anyway?
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What is known about the isotope distribution of neutronium decay?
Sometimes it is known to happen. For example, neutron star mergers might result in unstable neutronium droplets which lose the enormous pressure that makes them stable. A "nucleon" of $10^{...
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Is it a coincidence that Big Bang nucleosynthesis lasted about one free neutron half-life?
The free neutron half-life is about 10 minutes. Big Bang nucleosynthesis, which mostly involves protons and neutrons interacting, lasted about 20 minutes.
Question: Is it a coincidence that these ...
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Reaction of radiation with Nitrogen-14
When solar wind brings high energy neutrons into contact with Nitrogen-14, a well known process occurs yielding Carbon-14 + a proton. N14 is assumed to exist in upper atmosphere as N2 gas, but the ...
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How is the speed of nucleons in the nucleus measured?
This article claims that "nucleons in a dense nucleus exceed 25 percent of the speed of light".
How do you measure or infer the speed of nucleons in the nucleus?
Note added later: I'm looking here ...
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