Editing Neutron diffraction (section)

{{Short description|Technique to investigate atomic structures using neutron scattering}}
{{Science with neutrons}}

'''Neutron diffraction''' or '''elastic neutron scattering''' is the application of [[neutron scattering]] to the determination of the atomic and/or magnetic structure of a material. A sample to be examined is placed in a beam of [[Neutron temperature|thermal or cold]] [[neutron radiation|neutrons]] to obtain a diffraction pattern that provides information of the structure of the material. The technique is similar to [[X-ray diffraction]] but due to their different scattering properties, [[neutron]]s and [[X-ray]]s provide complementary information: X-Rays are suited for superficial analysis, strong x-rays from [[synchrotron radiation]] are suited for shallow depths or thin specimens, while neutrons having high penetration depth are suited for bulk samples.<ref name="iaea">[http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/te_1457_web.pdf Measurement of residual stress in materials using neutrons], [[IAEA]], 2003</ref>