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The Basics
Atoms
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Radiation
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Neutrons
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<h2>Applications of Neutrons</h2> <p>Neutron scattering is a versatile and powerful technique for exploring the structure of matter at the atomic scale. The spectrometers at the NRU reactor, are used to direct beams of neutrons onto samples of material, to discover their structure and behaviour.</p> <p>Atoms are made of a tiny central nucleus, surrounded by a 'cloud' of electrons. The nucleus is 10,000 times smaller than the atom itself. Neutrons only interact with atomic nuclei, not the surrounding electrons. Consequently neutrons see solid matter as mostly empty space, and can penetrate deep within materials.</p> <p>When neutrons encounter atomic nuclei they scatter, reflecting and diffracting. A spectrometer is an instrument that holds a sample of material accurately in position, directs a beam of neutrons onto it, and measures how the neutrons scatter from its atomic structure. The way in which they scatter is measured by the detector on the spectrometer. It is that information that reveals the structure and behavious of atoms within the sample.</p> <p>NRU is unique in Canada and enables hundreds of experiments to be conducted every year on materials from ceramics to biological tissue, from steel to superconductors. Materials make up everything in the world around us. So an increased understanding of materials leads to advances in every aspect of life, from new types of battery, to lighter aircraft, from stronger alloys, to new drugs.</p> <p>The neutron scattering facilities at the NRU reactor are managed by the National Research Council. They are used regularly by over 20 Canadian universities from coast to coast. NRC's laboratory is an active member of the international network of neutron labs, engaging in collaborative research with scientists from more than a hundred institutions in 19 countries from the developed and developing world.</p>
