Can Neutral Particles be Accelerated by Polarization and External Fields?

[spacetime]

How are neutral elementary particles accelerated? Is it actually practical as of yet, or is there a way we can do so in the future?

 

[Danger]

The two ways that I've run across are to accelerate negatively ionized hydrogen atoms and then pass them through rarified gas to strip off the extra electrons, or to accelerate a proton beam and add electrons when it's up to speed. I don't know how widespread or even practical they are. (Or are those particles less 'elementary' than you meant?)

 

[ZapperZ]

Don't we have some discussion about something similar already?

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=90734

Zz.

 

[Astronuc]

The process described by Danger is the basis of 'neutral beam' injection, which is the process of accelerating ions to some energy then neutralizing them - but that is a neutral atom - not an elementary particle.

Basically, one does not accelerate a neutral particle.

Neutrons can be ejected from nuclei, either by interaction with a gamma photon of sufficient energy, or by bombardment with a proton, deuteron, alpha particle or other particle. The heavier the projectile particle (which also means increased nuclear charge, Z), the more energy input is required to assure a nuclear reaction, and this would become generally impractical for obtaining neutrons. The D+T fusion reaction produces neutrons of 14.1 MeV.

High energy collisions of particles can be used to produce neutral particles, but they will also produce charged particles as well.

Annihilation of particles e+e- and p\bar{p} can also produce energetic neutral particles, as well as charge particles.

 

[Alex Barri]

sure,

to acceleratee neutral elemental particulares is almost unresolved problem. However there is THEORETICAL (not practical) posibilities to accelerate neutral molecules and atoms. Idea is the next. Neutral molecules and atoms are polarized in external electric field. In external magnetic field there is Lorentz force, which influence on moving charges. This is the way how to transform "electric energy" into kinetic (please see attachment). Sure, if direction of current (moving of charges) is changing, directiion of magnetic field is changing also.
Probably, we can use orthogonal laser beems as sources of magnetic and electric fields.

But I don't understand, what task to accelerate neutral particules, molecules, atoms or even neutrons?