Neutron techniques encompass a group of experimental methods that use beams of thermal, cold, or fast neutrons to probe the structure, dynamics, and magnetic properties of materials at atomic to mesoscopic length scales. Principal methods include neutron diffraction for crystallographic and magnetic structure determination, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) for studying nanoscale inhomogeneities, and inelastic or quasielastic neutron scattering for characterizing lattice vibrations, molecular motions, and spin excitations. These techniques exploit the neutron’s charge neutrality, nuclear-specific scattering cross sections, and magnetic moment, enabling high sensitivity to light elements, isotopic contrast variation, and direct measurement of magnetic correlations in condensed-matter, soft-matter, and biological systems.
Niobium-94, an isotope of niobium with 41 protons and 53 neutrons, is a critical crossroads in the complex nuclear processes that forge heavy elements under the intense pressures and temperatures of dying stars. In an article ...
General Physics
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For decades, a theory in physics has postulated the existence of a mirror world whose interaction with our own reality is extremely feeble. The particles in this mirror universe are also thought to be candidates for dark ...
General Physics
Jul 28, 2026
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Researchers at Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have developed the world's first achromatic lens for neutron imaging. The lens overcomes a longstanding obstacle in the field: focusing neutrons of different wavelengths well enough ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 14, 2026
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CANISIUS is the official name of the new spin-echo neutron interferometer developed at Atominstitut, TU Wien. It enables precise control of neutron waves, something that was previously impossible.
General Physics
Jul 13, 2026
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Modern medicine increasingly relies on targeted drug delivery—a process during which tiny particles (nanoparticles) transport drugs to specific parts of the body. To ensure these treatments are safe and effective, scientists ...
Bio & Medicine
Jul 9, 2026
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Neutron sources can be directly identified from measured spectra rather than proxies using inference tools adapted from cosmology, according to a University of Michigan Engineering study published in Physical Review Applied. ...
General Physics
Jul 6, 2026
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Proteins are essential molecules in living systems. They move, interact and organize themselves to carry out a wide range of functions, from helping cells communicate to forming structures inside the cell. In many cases, ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Apr 23, 2026
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NASA is joining international partners to hunt for ice on the moon in support of future human exploration. The agency is providing a water-detecting instrument, the Neutron Spectrometer System (NSS), to the Lunar Polar Exploration ...
Space Exploration
Apr 4, 2026
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In the air people breathe, the water on Earth, the stars in the sky and more, atoms are the building blocks that make up the universe. Understanding the structure of the atomic nucleus is crucial for research with implications ...
Condensed Matter
Mar 31, 2026
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In the universe, thermonuclear fusion is a common reaction: it is the source of energy for stars. On Earth, producing energy using this process is difficult due to problems with controlling the plasma emitting significant ...
Plasma Physics
Sep 11, 2025
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