  The effects of neutron irradiation on normal state and superconducting
properties of epitaxial magnesium diboride thin films are studied up to
fluences of 1020 cm-2. All the properties of the films change systematically
upon irradiation. Critical temperature is suppressed and, at the highest
fluence, no superconducting transition is observed down to 1.8 K. Residual
resistivity progressively increases from 1 to 190 microohmcm; c axis expands
and then saturates at the highest damage level. We discuss the mechanism of
damage through the comparison with other damage procedures. The normal state
magnetoresistivity of selected samples measured up to high fields (28 and 45T)
allows to determine unambiguously the scattering rates in each band; the
crossover between the clean and dirty limit in each sample can be monitored.
This set of samples, with controlled amount of disorder, is suitable to study
the puzzling problem of critical field in magnesium diboride thin films. The
measured critical field values are extremely high (of the order of 50T in the
parallel direction at low fluences) and turns out to be rather independent on
the experimental resistivity, at least at low fluences. A simple model to
explain this phenomenology is presented.
