Since the discovery of the neutron in 1934 neutron beams have been used in a very broad range of applications, As an aging fleet of nuclear reactor sources is retired the use of compact accelerator-driven neutron sources (CANS) are becoming more prevalent. CANS are playing a significant and expanding role in research and development in science and engineering, as well as in education and training. In the realm of multidisciplinary applications, CANS offer opportunities over a wide range of technical utilization, from interrogation of civil structures to medical therapy to cultural heritage study. This paper aims to provide the first comprehensive overview of the history, current status of operation, and ongoing development of CANS worldwide. The basic physics and engineering regarding neutron production by accelerators, target-moderator systems, and beam line instrumentation are introduced, followed by an extensive discussion of various evolving applications currently exploited at CANS.
Burned skeletal remains are abundant in archaeological and paleontological sites, the result of fire or of ancient funerary practices. In the burning process, the bone matrix suffers structural and dimensional changes that interfere with the reliability of available osteometric methods. Recent studies showed that these macroscopic changes are accompanied by microscopic variations are reflected in vibrational spectra. An innovative integrated approach to the study of archaeological combusted skeletal remains is reported here, where the application of complementary vibrational spectroscopic techniques—INS (inelastic neutron scattering), FTIR (Fourier transform infrared), and micro-Raman—enables access to the complete vibrational profile and constitutes the first application of neutron spectroscopy to ancient bones. Comparison with data from modern human bones that were subjected to controlled burning allowed identification of specific heating conditions. This pioneering study provides archaeologists and anthropologists with relevant information on past civilizations, including regarding funerary, burial, and cooking practices and environmental settings.
We demonstrate for the first time the viability of a three-dimensional (3D) elemental imaging technique based on Neutron Resonance Transmission Imaging (NRTI), which is a neutron technique based on the presence of a resonance structure in the neutron-induced reaction cross sections. These resonances allow the identification of elements and isotopes within an object in a non-destructive manner. A dedicated set-up on the INES (Italian Neutron Experimental Station) beamline of the ISIS spallation neutron source was employed for the experiments. An early mediaeval disc fibula from the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest was used for our demonstration. The methodology and analysis procedures are described and the results obtained from the reconstruction of the 3D NRTI elemental image of the ancient object are compared with the results obtained from other neutron-based 3D imaging techniques
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