Abstract

The principle interactions of slow neutrons with condensed matter are nuclear and magnetic. For the present purpose, the neutron-nucleus interaction can be regarded as an isotropic point interaction characterized by a coherent scattering length b, the magnitude of which varies non-monotonically with different nuclei. Because the neutron is a spin 1/2 particle and possesses a magnetic dipole moment of - 1.913 nuclear magnetons, it interacts with those atomic electrons which give rise to a magnetic moment. This interaction can also be characterized by a scattering length p, although an angular form factor must, in general, be included due to the relatively large spatial extent of the interaction region. However, for scattering at the small angles of interest here, this form factor can be taken to be unity.

© 1984 Optical Society of America