4. Experimental conditions

When a physical, chemical or biological problem appears to be amenable to neutron scattering, the experimenter is faced with a number of practical questions concerning the feasibility of the experiment, and the choice of sample, spectrometer and reactor. These are all delicate issues for non-specialists. The aim of this article is to describe some of the essential criteria for a successful experiment. However, these problems can only be fully resolved through discussions with laboratory staff (cf. ) in charge of neutron beam operation.

• Feasibility of the experiment: as neutron sources are few in number and relatively low in intensity, the availability of spectrometers is low. This is why, as a general rule, measurements are only carried out with this radiation...