IAEA neutron activation e-learning course helps scientists in 40 countries (Russian Edition)

From helping to solve historical criminal cases to determining the cause of a disappearing beach in Jamaica or the air quality at your gym: neutron activation is an established method to find out the composition and origin of materials. An e-learning tool developed by the IAEA is now helping researchers in 40 countries to apply the method. Neutron activation is a common type of analysis carried out in around half of the 238 operational research reactors worldwide, as well as in some accelerator-based neutron sources. The highly sensitive technique can reveal the concentration of a single atom in a million, without tampering with or destroying the material. Its precision offers advantages over other analytical methods, and it is particularly useful for bulk analyses and studying materials that are unique and need to remain intact. The technique works by irradiating stable atoms with neutrons and subsequently measuring the decay, or radiation, of the elements in the sample. Scientists use the technique to find the chemical signature of plastics, metals, glass, soil and air particles, among others.