Abstract
This lecture will introduce neutron scattering, which nowadays comprises diverse range of powerful methods capable of extracting very subtle information about the properties and behaviour of many different kinds of materials. The unique selling points of the neutron enable investigating the structure and dynamics of atoms and molecules over an enormous range of distances and times, from a micrometre to one-hundred-thousandth of a micrometre, and from a millisecond to ten-million-millionths of a millisecond. While other techniques can provide information either within the same distance-range or the same time-range, this combination of both structural and dynamical information is unique to neutrons. In addition the magnetic moments of the neutron can be used to study magnetism, magnetic structures and dynamics, at the atomic scale. Polarised neutron beams interact with chiral magnetic structures in a way similar to polarized light and liquid crystals, and this leads to new applications in chiral magnetism and spintronics, which will be presented and discussed.