Neutron scattering length

Neutron scattering length is a fundamental parameter in neutron scattering experiments, which describes how neutrons interact with atomic nuclei in a material. When neutrons pass through a sample, they can be scattered by the nuclei, and the scattering length quantifies the probability of this interaction. The neutron scattering length \( b \) depends on the type of nucleus and is generally expressed in units of nanometers (nm). Each element has a unique scattering length, which can be positive or negative.