Neutron activation analysis (NAA) is one of the most widely used techniques to measure the concentrations of elements within a wide range of nuclear materials. It is based on nuclear reactions leading to radionuclides specific to a given element. The analysis uses a method called super hooks which is based upon the strong interaction between two electrons. NAA applications include archaeology, soil science, geology, forensics, and the semiconductor industry.
Increasing adoption of NAA is expected to aid in the growth of the activation analysis equipment market. This is attributed to various advantages of NAA. This technique is very useful for determining the concentration of heavy elements in enriched materials as a result of the strong attraction of neutrons towards an element with a strong electron spin alignment. As neutrons are highly reactive agents in the nuclear chain reaction, their attraction to other atoms can easily identify compositions with specific radii of nuclear reactions. As a result of this reaction, the concentration of the selected element is easily determined.
Use of NAA in measuring concentrations of elements at different temperatures is expected to aid in growth of the activation analysis equipment market. NAA is based on the study of the high-energy states of atoms, which involve quarks, neutrons and photons. The method is used to determine the concentrations of elements at different temperatures. NAA allows single-photon tomography, discrete tomography, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for high-depth analysis of nuclear structures.
Adoption of NAA in nuclear chain reactions is also expected to aid in growth of the activation analysis equipment market. NAA is often employed for the study of nuclear chain reactions in which single-particle neutrons or photons create a lot of heat. For instance, the beta-particle is a highly energized state, which gives off a large amount of heat during the process of nuclear chain reaction. Once these neutrons come in contact with hydrogen atoms, they give off neutrons, which have a positive charge. Once these charged neutrons come into contact with an essential nucleus, they split the atom into two or more pieces, depending on the type of split. In cases where a crucial rule of the nuclear reaction is interrupted by the abnormality, the split may change the value of the concentration of trace elements.
Based on experimental results obtained through NAA, researchers also try to explain the behavior of the atom. This is based on the premise that the structure of the atom can be analyzed based on the probability distribution of its position, momentum, and time. The key contribution of NAA is its capability to identify nuclear reactions without the use of complex facilities. Unlike the traditional model of nuclear medicine, the process of analyzing the atom via NAA does not entail the use of complex equipment and machinery. Thus, the advantages of NAA over the traditional model of nuclear medicine are also expected to aid in the growth of the activation analysis equipment market.