A neutron reflector is any material that reflects neutrons. This refers to elastic scattering rather than to a specular reflection. The material may be graphite, beryllium, steel, tungsten carbide, or other materials. A neutron reflector can make an otherwise subcritical mass of fissile material critical, or increase the amount of nuclear fission that a critical or supercritical mass will undergo. An example of this is the Demon Core, a subcritical plutonium pit that went critical in two separate fatal incidents when the pit’s surface was momentarily surrounded by too much neutron reflective material.
