Analytical applications of guided neutron beams.

Guided beams of thermal and cold neutrons have become available to analysts at several reactors during the past decade. The very pure beams from these guides have led to lower backgrounds and higher sensitivities for prompt-gamma activation analysis (PGAA), and thus to new applications for this technique. For analytical accuracy, the details of neutron scattering within the sample need to be taken into account; this consideration is especially important for most materials of biological origin.