Neutron emission

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Nuclear physics
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Radioactive decay Alpha α Beta β 2β 0v β+ K/L capture Isomeric Gamma γ Internal conversion Spontaneous fission Cluster decay Neutron emission Proton emission Decay energy Decay chain Decay product Radiogenic nuclide
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Neutron emission is a mode of radioactive decay in which one or more neutrons are ejected from a nucleus.^[1] It occurs in the most neutron-rich/proton-deficient nuclides, and also from excited states of other nuclides as in photoneutron emission and beta-delayed neutron emission. As only a neutron is lost by this process the number of protons remains unchanged, and an atom does not become an atom of a different element, but a different isotope of the same element.^[2]

Neutrons are also produced in the spontaneous and induced fission of certain heavy nuclides.