An overview of what is a neutron

A neutron is a fundamental subatomic particle that exists inside the nucleus of an atom and is a chargeless particle. Neutrons are slightly heavier than protons and 1800 times heavier than electrons. Hence, the mass of this material is higher than the other subatomic particles. In 1932, James Chadwick discovered a fundamental subatomic particle i.e., the neutron using the proton ejection from the paraffinic wax method. The neutron isn’t accounted for in the atomic number but along with the proton, the mass of the nucleus is calculated. Neutrons are responsible for nuclear reactions which in turn helps in nuclear power, which is a renewable resource. A neutron has a positive spin and is classified under a baryon.

Discovery of neutron :

The discovery of the fundamental particle that is neutral,i.eNeutron was initially started in 1930 by Charlottenberg, Bothe and Becker. They showed that Beryllium, Boron and fluorine atoms produce high-energy radiation when they are bombarded by alpha particles emitted from Polonium. These 3 scientists associated it with y rays which were considered highly penetrating radiation now. At the end of one year, Irene Curie studied the absorption of this secondary radiation from Be and Li found that its penetration is much faster than the previous experiments. Two years later Irene and Fredrick Joliet Curie found that the ionisation generated by secondary Be radiation in a chamber is much higher when they placed a matter of Hydrogen in front of it. 

Then in 1932, Chadwick discovered that when beryllium was exposed to α-particles, different kinds of particles were emitted by the method of proton ejection from the paraffinic method. The mass of these new particles was marginally higher than the proton hence the above method was used. 

Properties of neutron

Charge – As mentioned earlier, neutrons are a type of neutral fundamental particles and neutrons are electrically neutral. 

Mass of the particle – the mass of a neutron can’t be measured using the mass spectrometer due to its null charge. Hence, the mass spectrometer is used to measure the masses of a proton and a deuteron and the mass of a neutron may be calculated by subtracting proton mass from deuteron mass, with the difference being the mass of the neutron plus the deuterium binding energy. The beta decay of neutrons is also an adaptive method for weighing the mass of these particles. Mass of neutron is – 1.008 Da ;(Da – dalton unit)

The ratio of neutron’s mass with the other subatomic particles –

mass of neutron mass of proton = 1.0013

mass of neutron mass of electron = 1838

Magnetic properties of the particle –

Even though the charge is nil, the magnetic moment of the neutron is not zero. These neutral subatomic particles are influenced only by the action of magnetic fields, not the electric field. The magnetic moment of the neutron was found to be μn= −1.93. The magnetic moment due to the magnetic field lines of a neutron is given by n= 4/3 d 1/3 u for a neutron, where d is the magnetic moment of the down quark and u is the magnetic moment of the up quark. The inherent magnetic moments of the quarks are combined with their orbital magnetic moments in this solution, which implies the three quarks are in a specific, dominant quantum state. 

The spin of the particle– 

The neutron is a spin 1/2 particle or a fermion with an inherent angular momentum of 1/2h, where h is the reduced Planck constant.

The electrical dipole of the particle – 

According to the standard model of particle physics, there is an electric dipole moment due to the minor separation between the positive and negative charge inside the neutron particle. The calculation of the exact value of the dipole moment is still in progress.

Antineutron – 

The opposite and antiparticle of the neutron are termed antineutrons.

Compounds of neutron- 

There are 4 compounds of a neutron :

1. Dineutron
2. Tetraneutron
3. Neutron star
4. Neutronium

Spotting of a neutron:

 The proton ejected from the paraffin wax of Be led to the first time spotting of neutrons.

The methods for the detection of the fundamental particle that is neutral.

1. Neutron spotting using the method of capturing a neutron 
2. Neutron spotting using the elastic scattering method

Application of neutrons – 

Owing to the properties like the mass of this new particle – neutrons and their high penetration and ionisation. They are used in various fields of science. The vast application of this type of fundamental particle that is neutral which is found due to the protons ejected from the paraffin wax is the nuclear reactor. These nuclear reactors are the key components of any nuclear power plant. A nuclear power plant uses the phenomenon of nuclear fission of these neutral fundamental particles. Apart from nuclear reactions, neutrons are used in medical applications. Neutron activation analysis is the common application of neutrons in the medical field.

Conclusion 

A neutron is a type of fundamental particle that is neutral. These neutrons aid with the stability of the nucleus and also constitute the mass of the element present. The protons ejected from paraffin wax led to the spotting of neutrons. Except for hydrogen, they are present in every other element. These subatomic particles comprise quarks and they are divided based on their location in the neutron. 

Hence neutrons have one up quark and 2 down quarks. The mass of the neutron is slightly higher than the proton and much higher than the electron. The neutrons usually get released as free neutrons in both nuclear fission and nuclear fusion, which is a wide source of renewable energy. The applications are not only limited to nuclear reactions but also in the field of medicine.