Neutron (source code)
= Neutron
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The neutron is the electrically neutral spin-one-half baryon found with <protons> in most atomic nuclei.
A neutron is a <nucleon>: it contributes to an <atomic nucleus> without adding <electric charge>. Its <spin one-half> makes it a <fermion>, and it belongs to the <baryons>. Electrical neutrality does not mean an absence of interactions: a neutron can transfer <momentum> and <kinetic energy> to an <atomic nucleus>, producing a charged <nuclear recoil> that a <particle detector> can register. This indirect route is central to <neutron detection by proton recoil>.
The beautiful feature of the <Chadwick neutron discovery experiment> is that an unseen projectile acquired a measurable <mass> through the motion of things it struck. Penetration alone left competing explanations open; combining <nuclear recoils> from different target <masses> supplied a much stronger test.
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