Polarization of Neutrons in n-12C Scattering: A Standard for Polarization Studies in the MeV Region

The polarization of neutrons elastically scattered from ¹²C at 50° has been measured as a continuous function of energy between 2 and 5 MeV using a neutron double-scattering technique. This measurement provides an absolute standard for polarization studies in this energy range. The intense pulsed yield of neutrons obtained from the first scatterer is shown to be a practicable source of polarized neutrons suitable for high-resolution experiments in the MeV region.