Illuminating the past: the neutron as a tool in archaeology

Neutrons can be produced in nuclear reactions and used as very versatile probes for condensed matter research. Since their introduction in the 1950s neutron scattering techniques have evolved to be very powerful tools for investigating the properties of condensed matter. Here we present the concept of neutron diffraction and how this technique can be used to address problems in archaeology facilitated by accelerator-based neutron sources like ISIS at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire. The great beauty of neutrons for the archaeologist is that they allow non-destructive testing of intact and original archaeological artifacts and museum objects.