Neutron scattering measures how a specimen changes the directions and kinetic energies of incident neutrons. Neutron diffraction uses the elastic scattering pattern to investigate crystal structure and magnetic order; inelastic neutron scattering uses energy transfer to investigate excitations such as phonons and magnons. The two measurements ask complementary questions: what arrangement repeats in space, and what disturbances can propagate through it?
The 1994 Nobel Prize in Physics recognized Clifford Glenwood Shull's diffraction work and Bertram Neville Brockhouse's spectroscopy.[ref]
Nuclear scattering couples to atomic nuclei; magnetic scattering couples the neutron's magnetic moment to electronic magnetic moments. The latter underlies both magnetic neutron diffraction and magnon spectroscopy. An atomic number is not a nuclear neutron scattering weight: the relevant coefficient in the elementary coherent model is the nuclear neutron scattering length.
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Neutron scattering is a powerful experimental technique used to probe the structure and dynamics of materials at the atomic or molecular level. It involves the scattering of neutrons, which are neutral elementary particles found in the nucleus of atoms. Due to their neutral charge and relatively high mass, neutrons can penetrate deep into matter without causing significant damage, making them ideal for studying a wide variety of materials, including solids, liquids, gases, and complex biological systems.