neutron energy

https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.08742
Kinetic energy of a free neutron.
Notes:
  1. Neutron energy is usually given with unit electronvolt (eV). 1 eV=1.602176634×10−19 J.
  2. Neutron temperature has unit kelvin, and the term should not be used for the neutron energy.
  3. Neutrons are classified according to their energies as follows:
Neutron energy range (in eV)Name
0.0-0.025cold neutron
0.025 (corresponding to 295 K)thermal neutron
0.025-0.4epithermal neutron
0.4-0.6cadmium neutron
0.6-1epicadmium neutron
1-10slow neutron*
10-300resonance neutron
300-1 × 106intermediate neutron
(1-20) × 106fast neutron
>20 × 106ultrafast neutron
*Slow neutron also may be defined as any neutron below a threshold which may vary over a wide range and depends on the application. In reactor physics, the threshold value is frequently chosen to be 1 eV; in dosimetry, the effective cadmium cut-off is used. See: [2].
Source:
PAC, 2021, 93, 69. (Vocabulary of radioanalytical methods (IUPAC Recommendations 2020)) on page 88 [Terms] [Paper]
Citation: 'neutron energy' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.08742 RIS BibTex EndNote
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