NEA-1926 N-THERMALISATION.

N-THERMALISATION: Notes on the scattering of thermal neutrons

This package contains the lecture notes that were underlying lectures given to the Reactor Theory Division of Brookhaven National Laboratory in 1959, by Noel Corngold.

The aim is to introduce to the reader the "modern" theory of the scattering of thermal neutrons by matter. The most important feature of this theory is the expression of the differential cross-section for scattering as the Fourier transform of the space and time correlation function for the motion of the scattering nuclei. The notes are organised as follow:

1.The Born Approximation

• Scattering by a Static Potential

• Scattering by a Complex System

2.The Pseudo-Potential

3.Some Illustrative Examples

• The Scattering of Neutrons of Very Low Energy

• The Scattering of Neutrons of Very High Energy

• Scattering by a Free Nucleus

• Scattering by a Rigid Rotator

• The High Energy Analysis of G. Placzek

4.Neutron Scattering and Pair Correlations

• Introduction of the Correlation Function

• The Effects of Spin

• Some General Features of the Scattering

5.Cross Sections for Some Elementary Systems

• The Ideal Gas of Point Particles

• The Linear Harmonic Oscillator

• Scattering by Vibrating Systems

• The High Energy Expansion

• The Rigid Rotator

Appendix: The Ideal Gas Cross Sections (Details)

Noel Corngold's research work first focused on mathematical problems in the field of nuclear reactor physics. After his work at Brookhaven, he was named a fellow of the American Nuclear Society's Reactor Physics Division and awarded a certificate of merit for his "physical insight into neutronic problems."

Noel Corngold

Professor Emeritus

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California, U.S.A

Sadly, Noel Corngold passed away in 2022.