Radiation Protection Glossary

A radiation protection glossary for Radiation Protection Supervisors (RPS), Radiation Protection Advisers (RPA) and anyone else interesting in radiation safety terms and definitions. The glossary is a mixture of health physics , phrases related to radiation protection legislation, transport, practical safety, technical terms and similar.

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Neutron

Published: Oct 12, 2018

The neutron is a constituent of the Nucleus of an Atom and has an Atomic Mass unit of 1 (identical mass to a Proton). Unlike protons, the neutron does not carry an electrical charge. Its electrical neutrality allows it to take part in many types of nuclear reactions because it is not deflected by the positive charge of the protons. Neutrons are not themselves Ionising, but the by-products of their interactions are (in simple terms their interactions take the form of collisions with other sub-atomic particles where energy is transferred).

Physics is really nothing more than a search for ultimate simplicity, but so far all we have is a kind of elegant messiness

– Bill Bryson -