On the neutron optics of liquids

Abstract

The main goal of this review paper was to study the problems associated with the application of neutron optics methods to bulk liquids in the critical region. Based on the Schrödinger equation for the neutron wave function and using the Fermi potential, the following physical properties and processes were investigated: the critical behavior of the neutron refractive index in individual inhomogeneous liquids and liquid binary solutions; the effect of gravity and bounding surfaces on the neutron refraction and the neutron refractive index ellipsoid; the transmission and reflection of a neutron beam in an inhomogeneous liquid by the Wentzel-Kramers-Brullouin method, taking into account the Ramsauer effect; the critical behavior of elastic neutron scattering to study the thermodynamic and correlation properties and quasi-elastic neutron scattering to determine the dynamic properties of liquids; biomedical applications of the obtained results, in particular for the problem of early diagnosis of the appearance of malignant neoplasms.