  The DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE), one of the four space-based
scientific missions within the framework of the Strategic Pioneer Program on
Space Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has been successfully
launched on Dec. 17th 2015 from Jiuquan launch center. One of the most
important scientific goals of DAMPE is to search for the evidence of dark
matter indirectly by measuring the spectrum of high energy cosmic-ray
electrons. The neutron detector, one of the four sub-payloads of DAMPE, is
designed to distinguish high energy electrons from hadron background by
measuring the secondary neutrons produced in the shower. In this paper, a
comprehensive introduction of the neutron detector is presented, including the
design, the calibration and the performance. The analysis with simulated data
and flight data indicates a powerful proton rejection capability of the neutron
detector, which plays an essential role for TeV electron identification of
DAMPE.
