SMALL-ANGLE SCATTERING OF FAST POLARIZED NEUTRONS BY HEAVY NUCLEI

Abstract

Detailed calculations have been carried out which indicate that the small-angle scattering of fast neutrons by lead depends on the polarization, or spin orientation, of the neutrons. When the scattering of neutrons whose spin vectors point upward is observed in the horizontal plane, more neutrons should be found scattered to the right than to the left. For completely polarized 3.1 Mev. neutrons, the theory predicts a maximum "right to left" intensity ratio of 14.5:1 at a scattering angle of 0.5°, the ratio decreasing to 1.6:1 at 5°, and approaching unity rapidly as the scattering angle increases.