How can neutron bombardment turn a stable nucleus into a radioactive nucleus?

Neutron bombardment can transform a stable nucleus into a radioactive one primarily through a process known as neutron capture.1

In this nuclear reaction, a target nucleus absorbs an incident neutron, resulting in a heavier isotope of the same element. Because this new, heavier isotope may be unstable, it often becomes radioactive. Once the nucleus is in this unstable state, it may undergo radioactive decay to reach a more stable configuration, frequently by emitting beta particles.2134

Alternatively, neutron bombardment can induce other types of nuclear interactions, such as the ejection of a heavy charged particle (like a proton or an alpha particle), which can also result in the formation of a radioactive product nucleus. These processes are fundamental to neutron activation analysis, a method used to identify chemical elements by creating radioactive atoms whose emissions reveal the composition of the original material.45