Neutron magnetic moment
Encyclopedia
The neutron magnetic moment is the magnetic moment
of the neutron
. It is of particular interest, as magnetic moments are created by the movement of electric charges. Since the neutron is a neutral particle, the magnetic moment is an indication of substructure, i.e. that the neutron is made of other, electrically charged particles (quarks).
In SI units, the neutron magnetic moment is approximately
is negative which means that the neutron
has a tendency to align antiparallel
to a magnetic field rather than parallel to the field.
The non-zero magnetic moment of the neutron indicates that it is not an elementary particle, as it carries no net charge but still interacts with a magnetic field.
Magnetic moment
The magnetic moment of a magnet is a quantity that determines the force that the magnet can exert on electric currents and the torque that a magnetic field will exert on it...
of the neutron
Neutron
The neutron is a subatomic hadron particle which has the symbol or , no net electric charge and a mass slightly larger than that of a proton. With the exception of hydrogen, nuclei of atoms consist of protons and neutrons, which are therefore collectively referred to as nucleons. The number of...
. It is of particular interest, as magnetic moments are created by the movement of electric charges. Since the neutron is a neutral particle, the magnetic moment is an indication of substructure, i.e. that the neutron is made of other, electrically charged particles (quarks).
More details
There is a cloud of pi-mesons around the neutrons in result to the exchange of pi-mesons (the exchange particle of the strong force) with the other nucleons (proton and neutrons).Value
The neutron magnetic moment is measured to be , where μN is the nuclear magneton.In SI units, the neutron magnetic moment is approximately
Physical significance
The magnetic momentMagnetic moment
The magnetic moment of a magnet is a quantity that determines the force that the magnet can exert on electric currents and the torque that a magnetic field will exert on it...
is negative which means that the neutron
Neutron
The neutron is a subatomic hadron particle which has the symbol or , no net electric charge and a mass slightly larger than that of a proton. With the exception of hydrogen, nuclei of atoms consist of protons and neutrons, which are therefore collectively referred to as nucleons. The number of...
has a tendency to align antiparallel
Antiparallel (mathematics)
-Definitions:Given two lines m_1 \, and m_2 \,, lines l_1 \, and l_2 \, are anti-parallel with respect to m_1 \, and m_2 \, if \angle 1 = \angle 2 \,....
to a magnetic field rather than parallel to the field.
The non-zero magnetic moment of the neutron indicates that it is not an elementary particle, as it carries no net charge but still interacts with a magnetic field.
See also
- Magnetic dipole moment
- Landé g-factorLandé g-factorIn physics, the Landé g-factor is a particular example of a g-factor, namely for an electron with both spin and orbital angular momenta. It is named after Alfred Landé, who first described it in 1921....
- AntineutronAntineutronThe antineutron is the antiparticle of the neutron with symbol . It differs from the neutron only in that some of its properties have equal magnitude but opposite sign. It has the same mass as the neutron, and no net electric charge, but has opposite baryon number...
(whose magnetic moment is the opposite of that of the neutron)