What is Neutron Radiation?
Neutron radiation is a form of ionizing radiation most often found in nuclear reactors and nuclear bombs. It is composed of neutrons, neutral subatomic particles that make up the nucleus of atoms along with protons. Neutrons are found in all elemental nuclei except for hydrogen. Neutron radiation is a health risk and is considered the fourth major type of radiation after alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays. Neutron radiation, and the neutron itself, were discovered in the early 1930s through experiments conducted by James Chadwick, Walter Bothe, Herbert Becker, and others. The radiation was released by bombarding the metal beryllium with alpha particles. Chadwick’s careful work in proving the existence of the neutron earned him the 1935 Nobel Prize in Physics. The most famous role of neutron radiation in world history comes from 1942, when the world’s first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1 was built underneath the University of Chicago’s stadium. Scientists had theorized tha
Neutron radiation is a form of ionizing radiation most often found in nuclear reactors and nuclear bombs. It is composed of neutrons, neutral subatomic particles that make up the nucleus of atoms along with protons. Neutrons are found in all elemental nuclei except for hydrogen. Neutron radiation is a health risk and is considered the fourth major type of radiation after alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays. Neutron radiation, and the neutron itself, were discovered in the early 1930s through experiments conducted by James Chadwick, Walter Bothe, Herbert Becker, and others. The radiation was released by bombarding the metal beryllium with alpha particles. Chadwick’s careful work in proving the existence of the neutron earned him the 1935 Nobel Prize in Physics. The most famous role of neutron radiation in world history comes from 1942, when the world’s first nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1 was built underneath the University of Chicago’s stadium. Scientists had theorized