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On the refractive index for neutrons

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Zeitschrift für Physik B Condensed Matter

Abstract

The commonly used result for the neutron refractive index does not include effects due to binding of the nuclei or multiple scattering. We show how these effects can be incorporated in the theory of coherent neutron scattering and present an expression for the refractive index, which adds to the familiar result correction terms quadratic in the scattering length. Examples discussed in more detail include a calculation of the refractive indexn for H2 gas. Corrections to 1 —n are of the order 10−3. Results from our theory, which takes into account the actual dynamics of the scatterers, can differ substantially from those of the “static approximation,” in which the nuclei are held at fixed positions in space.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Theoretische Physik, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, Templergraben 55, D-5100, Aachen, Federal Republic of Germany

    Ernst Nowak

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  1. Ernst Nowak
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Nowak, E. On the refractive index for neutrons. Z. Physik B - Condensed Matter 49, 1–8 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01312962

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01312962

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