Neutron activation
Encyclopedia : N : NE : NEU : Neutron activation
Neutron activation is the process in which neutron radiation induces radioactivity in materials, and occurs when nuclei capture free neutrons, becoming heavier and entering excited states. Such nuclei are frequently radioactive, sometimes with very short half-lives, so they and their decay products generally make the material radioactive. Thus, unlike alpha, beta, and gamma radiation, neutron radiation leaves the exposed materials emitting their own radiation long after exposure.
In places with high neutron fluxes (primarily the cores of nuclear reactors) neutron activation contributes to material erosion, and the materials themselves must be disposed of as low-level radioactive waste. Some materials are more subject to neutron activation than others, so a suitably chosen low-activation material can significantly reduce these problems. One way to demonstrate that nuclear fusion is occurring inside a Farnsworth-Hirsch fusor is to use a Geiger counter to measure the radioactivity induced in a sheet of aluminum foil.
The lasting radiation from a nuclear weapon is in large part due to the neutron activation of the bomb itself and the surrounding material.
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