Neutron optics

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Abstract
A range of phenomena similar or analogous to those of classical optics is exhibited by slow neutrons. The aim of this review is to discuss this similarity and to display the results obtained in a wide range of experimental work on reflection, refraction, diffraction and interference of neutrons. The motivation of such experiments is discussed in the introductory section. The review is divided into three main sections: geometrical optics, wave optics and crystal optics; with subsections that parallel the typical textbook development of classical optics. Special emphasis is placed on the recent developments in neutron interferometry and on the fundamental tests of quantum-mechanical principles made possible by these novel techniques.