Do Neutrons Emit Infrared Radiation at Room Temperature?

[jjschwartz1]

All bodies with a temperature emit electromagnetic radiation also known as thermal radiation or blackbody radiation. If I understand it correctly, the origin of this is the thermal motion (acceleration) of the atoms and their included positive and negative charges leads to EM radiation.

Would a bunch of neutrons at, say, room temperature emit infrared radiation? I would think they would as "all bodies with a positive temperature emit electromagnetic radiation". But I'm at a loss to explain why.

 

[Jolb]

A bunch of neutrons at a finite temperature T would emit thermal radiation. We have even observed such objects: neutron stars. I believe their spectra are roughly blackbody, but of course there are many interesting effects that play into the precise form of the spectrum.

Are you confused because a neutral particle shouldn't couple to the EM field? Remember, though, that the neutron has a nonzero magnetic dipole moment, and it is actually composed of fractionally-charged quarks. So it can couple to the EM field.

 

[Naty1]

Not only do neutrons emit electromagnetic energy [thermal energy] they actually emit electrons! That's called beta decay. This suggests 'a neutron is a proton plus an electron combined' which is likely an over simplification that started with Rutherford.

edit: found a brief description here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron#Intrinsic_properties

You can also tell a neutron has some EM character [electron like] because it has a magnetic dipole moment.

 

[Naty1]

Forgot to say: If anything emits thermal energy, its because the emitter is not in the most stable, low energy state...so it's likely that as the neutron constitutents emit EM energy they settle to a lower energy configuration.

 

[sardar]

Yes, a bunch of neutrons at room temperature would emit infrared radiation. This is because all particles with a temperature above absolute zero have thermal energy, which causes them to vibrate and move. In the case of neutrons, their motion and interactions with each other and their surroundings, such as the walls of the container they are in, would result in the emission of thermal radiation. This radiation would likely be in the infrared range due to the relatively low energy of neutrons compared to other particles. Additionally, the neutrons themselves have a magnetic moment, which also contributes to their emission of electromagnetic radiation. Overall, the emission of thermal radiation from neutrons is a result of their thermal energy and their inherent properties as particles.