Investigation of submicroscopic structures by very-slow-neutron transmission experiments

The transmission of very slow neutrons through a colloidal dispersion of silica particles was investigated at the FRM reactor, Munich. The experimental transmission shows a characteristic wavelength dependence which permits one to deduce several characteristic parameters of the scattering zones, in particular their size and number. The experimental results obtained are consistent with the known data for the substance chosen. This indicates that the simple method of very slow neutron transmission may be applied in certain cases as an alternative to the well-established techniques of X-ray or neutron small-angle scattering.Work supported by the Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie