Neutronspasses

Neutronspasses is a term sometimes used in particle physics, particularly in the context of neutron scattering experiments. It refers to the phenomenon where a neutron traverses a material without interacting with any of its constituent atoms. This can happen for several reasons, including the low probability of interaction for any given neutron, the specific material properties, or the energy of the neutron.

In neutron scattering, a beam of neutrons is directed at a sample, and the way these neutrons are scattered, absorbed, or pass through provides information about the sample's structure and dynamics. Neutrons that pass through without interacting are essentially "unseen" by the detector in a typical scattering experiment. Researchers often aim to maximize the interaction probability to study the material, so neutrons that pass through represent a loss of signal. However, understanding the fraction of neutrons that pass through, known as the transmission, is also crucial for calibrating experiments and characterizing materials. Factors influencing neutron transmission include the neutron's energy (lower energy neutrons tend to interact more strongly), the sample's thickness, and the absorption cross-section of the material. Analyzing the transmitted beam, alongside the scattered beam, allows for a more complete picture of the material's properties.