Cluster structure of the material surface as the cause of the selective enhancement of ultracold-neutron capture associated with subbarrier reflection

Neutron-radiation analysis is used to investigate the subbarrier reflection of ultracold neutrons from the surface of a titanium-stabilized Fe-Ni-Cr stainless steel. A significant selective increase in the probability of neutron capture by nuclei of the medium in comparison to theory is discovered. An explanation is given for the effect, which is associated with the existence of titanium-containing clusters and structural defects that distort the form of the distribution of the effective interaction potential between ultracold neutrons and the material surface.