Chadwick discovered the neutron in 1932, twenty years after the beginning of nuclear physics marked by the discovery of cosmic rays in 1912. Since those early days neutrons have become the basis of powerful tools for both very fundamental physics and a wide variety of applications in material science and engineering. The sources of neutrons for these studies are reactors and accelerators. This talk will cover the evolution of both types with most emphasis on past, present, and future accelerator-based facilities. Argonne has played a major role in the development of pulsed neutron sources beginning in the 1960’s leading to the seminal IPNS facility at Argonne followed by both moderator and instrument developments for the SNS at Oak Ridge. The future will include the more powerful ESS in Europe and the evolution of more advanced and specialized neutron scattering instruments.

Argonne Physics Division Colloquium Schedule