Neutron magnetic structure revisited: Insights from Patterson function analysis

Abstract In this study, we revisit the neutron’s internal magnetic distribution using the Patterson function—a model-independent tool traditionally employed in crystallography and charge density analysis. By adapting this method to magnetic form factors, we provide an approach to uncover spatial correlations within the neutron’s magnetization density and offer new interpretations of its internal structure. While the magnetization density itself is not directly obtained, our framework enables its potential reconstruction via deconvolution of the Patterson magnetization density, constrained by the total magnetic moment of − 1.91 nuclear magnetons.