News tagged with neutron
Why staying warm in winter is a bit more complicated if you're a lizard
Recent studies at the ISIS neutron source, the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) world leading research centre, have given a new insight into the mysterious ‘anti-freeze’ capabilities ...
Feb 09, 2012 |
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Searching for a solid that flows like a liquid
(PhysOrg.com) -- A series of neutron scattering experiments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and other research centers is exploring the key question about a long-sought quantum state of matter called supersolidity: ...
Feb 03, 2012 |
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Stellar astrophysics explains the behavior of fast rotating neutron stars in binary systems
Pulsars are among the most exotic celestial bodies known. They have diameters of about 20 kilometres, but at the same time roughly the mass of our sun. A sugar-cube sized piece of its ultra-compact matter ...
Feb 02, 2012 |
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Remnant of an explosion with a powerful kick?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Vital clues about the devastating ends to the lives of massive stars can be found by studying the aftermath of their explosions. In its more than twelve years of science operations, NASA's ...
Feb 02, 2012 |
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Neutron scattering provides window into surface interactions
To better understand the fundamental behavior of molecules at surfaces, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are combining the powers of neutron scattering with chemical analysis.
Jan 17, 2012 |
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Fermi telescope explores new energy extremes
(PhysOrg.com) -- After more than three years in space, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is extending its view of the high-energy sky into a largely unexplored electromagnetic range. Today, the Fermi ...
Jan 10, 2012 |
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NASA's Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer completes mission operations
(PhysOrg.com) -- After 16 years in space, NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) has made its last observation. The satellite provided unprecedented views into the extreme environments around white dwarfs, neutron stars ...
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jan 09, 2012 |
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Carnivorous plant traps worms with sticky leaves
Plants eat the darndest things. Scientists have discovered a small flowering plant living in the sandy soils of Brazil that traps nematodes, or roundworms, with sticky underground leaves -- and gobbles them ...
Jan 09, 2012 |
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Atomic core, shaken not stirred
When struck just right, protons and neutrons ring. The sub-atomic particles don’t jingle like when a hammer hits a bell. But they do jiggle in an odd dance where the protons move in one direction and ...
Jan 05, 2012 |
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E. coli packs a punch - an intestinal insight from ISIS
Recent studies at the ISIS neutron source, the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s world leading research centre, have given a new insight into how E. coli bacteria, often associated with food ...
Dec 23, 2011 |
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NIST sensor improvement brings analysis method into mainstream
(PhysOrg.com) -- An advance in sensor design by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Waterloo's Institute of Quantum Computing (IQC) could unshackle a powerful, yet high-maintenance ...
Dec 21, 2011 |
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SANS tracks cell death protein invading biomimetic mitochondrial membrane
(PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of biochemists, biophysicists, and neutron scientists are using a combination of fluorescence and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) techniques to assist biochemists ...
Dec 15, 2011 |
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Dawn spacecraft spirals down to lowest orbit
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Dawn spacecraft successfully maneuvered into its closest orbit around the giant asteroid Vesta today, beginning a new phase of science observations. The spacecraft is now circling Vesta ...
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 13, 2011 |
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Neutrons answer shampoo formulation puzzle
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the Institut Laue-Langevin have used neutrons to solve a long-standing mystery about the surface properties of polyelectrolyte/surfactant mixtures, such as those used in many ...
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
Dec 12, 2011 |
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Swift finds a gamma-ray burst with a dual personality (w/ video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- A peculiar cosmic explosion first detected by NASA's Swift observatory on Christmas Day 2010 was caused either by a novel type of supernova located billions of light-years away or an unusual ...
Nov 30, 2011 |
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Neutron
The neutron is a subatomic particle with no net electric charge and a mass slightly larger than that of a proton.
Neutrons are usually found in atomic nuclei. The nuclei of most atoms consist of protons and neutrons, which are therefore collectively referred to as nucleons. The number of protons in a nucleus is the atomic number and defines the type of element the atom forms. The number of neutrons determines the isotope of an element. For example, the carbon-12 isotope has 6 protons and 6 neutrons, while the carbon-14 isotope has 6 protons and 8 neutrons.
While bound neutrons in stable nuclei are stable, free neutrons are unstable; they undergo beta decay with a lifetime of just under 15 minutes (885.7 ± 0.8 s). Free neutrons are produced in nuclear fission and fusion. Dedicated neutron sources like research reactors and spallation sources produce free neutrons for the use in irradiation and in neutron scattering experiments.
Even though it is not a chemical element, the free neutron is sometimes included in tables of nuclides. It is then considered to have an atomic number of zero and a mass number of one.
For more information about Neutron, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
