Neutron physics studies the production, interaction, transport and detection of neutrons. A neutron has no net electric charge, so it does not experience the long-range Coulomb repulsion that impedes charged particles approaching a positively charged atomic nucleus. Its nuclear interactions nevertheless depend strongly on energy and target isotope.
Elastic scattering can slow neutrons in a neutron moderator, capture can change a nucleus, and suitable reactions can initiate nuclear fission. Neutron magnetic moments also couple to magnetic structure, enabling magnetic neutron diffraction. A measured attenuation therefore combines different reaction channels and must not be interpreted as one universal absorption probability.
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