Measurement of keV-Neutron Capture Cross Sections and Capture Gamma-Ray Spectra of 209Bi

The capture cross sections and capture γ-ray spectra of ²⁰⁹Bi were measured in a neutron energy region from 5 to 80keV and at 520 keV, using pulsed keV neutrons from the ⁷Li(p, n)⁷Be reaction and a time-of-flight method. The capture γrays from a bismuth or standard gold sample were detected with a large anti-Compton NaI(Tl) spectrometer. The capture yield of the bismuth or gold sample was obtained by applying a pulse-height weighting technique to the corresponding capture y-ray pulse-height spectrum. The derived capture cross sections from 5 to 80 keV were in good agreement with recent measurements, but that at 520 keV was about half of previous measurements. This large discrepancy at 520 keV was ascribed to the incorrect background-subtraction in the previous measurements from a comparison between the present and previous capture γray spectra. Strong transitions from the capture states to low lying states of ²¹⁰Bi were observed in the present γray spectra. The multiplicities of observed y rays were obtained from the γray spectra.     

Measurement of keV-Neutron Capture Cross Sections and Capture Gamma-Ray Spectra of 167 Er

The neutron capture cross sections and capture γ-ray spectra of ¹⁶⁷Er were measured in the neutron energy region of 10 to 90keV and at 550 keV. Using a neutron time-of-flight method with a 1.5-ns pulsed neutron source by the ⁷Li(p, n)⁷Be reaction, the measurement was performed by detecting prompt γ rays from an enriched capture sample with a large anti-Compton Nal(Tl) spectrometer. A pulse-height weighting technique was applied to observed capture γ-ray pulse-height spectra to extract capture yields. The capture cross sections were derived with the error of about 5% by using the standard capture cross sections of ¹⁹⁷Au. The present results were compared with the evaluated values of ENDF/B-VI and the previous measurement. The present measurement at 550 keV was the first one. The capture γ-ray spectra were obtained by unfolding the observed capture γ-ray pulse-height spectra. An anomalous shoulder was clearly observed around 3 MeV in the γ-ray spectra and the energy position of the shoulder was consistent with the systematics obtained in our previous work. The multiplicities of the observed γ rays were derived from the γ-ray spectra.     

Measurement of keV-Neutron Capture Cross Section of 96Zr

The neutron capture cross section of ⁹⁶Zr at incident neutron energies from 15 to 100 keV has been measured by the time-of-flight method. Capture γ-rays were detected with an anti-Compton NaI(Tl) spectrometer, and the pulse-height weighting technique was applied to derive the neutron capture cross section. The present measurement provided the capture cross section as a function of incident neutron energy in the keV region. The results were compared with previous measurements and cross section data in the evaluated nuclear data libraries, JENDL-4.0, JENDL-3.3, ENDF/B-VII.0, and ENDF/B-VI.8. The present results revealed considerable underestimation of the evaluated cross sections in the high-energy region of 35–100 keV.     

A Method Using Nuclear Emulsions for Measuring the Anisotropy of Fast Neutron Fluxes due to Arrangement of Fast Core Cell

Measurements using nuclear emulsions have been made on the neutron spectra and on the fine structure of neutron fluxes in the cell of the I-4 core of the fast critical assembly at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. The I-4 core is a graphite-diluted fast core with 3:1 volume ratio of 20% enriched metallic uranium and graphite. The nuclear emulsions were irradiated in two typical patterns of arrangement of the cell (systems with graphite plates (a) bunched and (b) distributed among fuel plates).

For the distributed graphite plate system a marked discrepancy was found between the direct measurements and calculations based on the Monte Carlo method. This is attributed to anisotropy in the incident neutron flux due to the parallel plate arrangement of the simulated materials. It is concluded that Reines' formula requires correction to amount for such anisotropy, even when the emulsions are irradiated at the core center. A simple method for treating this anisotropy is proposed for use in fine structure analysis. The method utilizes, in part, the calculated results.     

Measurements of keV-neutron capture cross sections and capture gamma-ray spectra of 105Pd

The neutron capture cross sections and capture gamma-ray spectra of ¹⁰⁵Pd were measured in the region from 15 to 100 keV and at 585 keV. A neutron time-of-flight method was utilised with an anti-Compton NaI(Tl) spectrometer and a 1.5-ns pulsed neutron source by the ⁷Li(p,n)⁷Be reaction. The capture yields were obtained by applying a pulse-height weighting technique to the observed net capture gamma-ray pulse-height spectra. The capture cross sections of ¹⁰⁵Pd were derived with errors less than 5%, using the standard capture cross sections of ¹⁹⁷Au. The evaluated capture cross sections of JENDL-4.0 and ENDF/B-VII.1 were compared with the present results. The evaluations of JENDL-4.0 and ENDF/B-VII.1 were larger than the present results by 3%–15% in the region from 15 to 100 keV and at 585 keV. The capture gamma-ray spectra of ¹⁰⁵Pd were also derived by unfolding the observed net capture gamma-ray pulse-height spectra. The multiplicities of capture gamma rays of ¹⁰⁵Pd were obtained from the capture gamma-ray spectra.     

Average Neutron Capture Cross Sections of 151Eu and 153Eu from 3 to 100 keV

Neutron capture cross sections of europium isotopes ¹⁵¹Eu and ¹⁵³Eu were measured in the neutron energy range of 3~100keV. Experiments were carried out with the time-of-flight facility at the 52 m station of the JAERI Electron Linear Accelerator. Prompt capture γ-rays were detected by a large liquid scintillation detector and the neutron flux shape was determined with a ⁶Li glass scintillation detector. The average capture cross sections were examined in terms of energy independent strength functions for ¹⁵¹Eu and ¹⁵³Eu.     

Measurement of Nuclear Inelastic Scattering Cross Section of Thorium-232 for 144keV Si-Filtered Neutrons

The nuclear inelastic scattering cross section of ²³²Th has been measured at 144 keV using a Si-filtered neutron beam from the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR). The energy spectrum of the scattered neutrons was measured with a spherical hydrogen-gas counter and a pulse-height-unfolding procedure. Data were taken at nine scattering angles from 30° to 150° in 15° increments. The results provide new experimental information below 250 keV. The angle-integrated cross section is 0.74±0.05 barn, which agrees with the evaluation JENDL-2 and with a coupled-channel calculation where the inelastic scattering through the direct-excitation process of the collective rotational motion of a deformed nucleus is included as well as that through the compound-nucleus-formation process. Experimental results have been obtained also for the angular dependence of the elastically scattered neutrons at 144 keV.     

Measurement of Gamma-Ray Production Cross Sections of Iron for Incident Neutron Energies between 6 and 33 MeV

Measurement of differential γ-ray production cross sections, i.e. (n, x γ) cross sections, of Fe was made for neutron energies from 6 to 33 MeV. Neutrons used in the experiment were white neutrons produced with (p, n) reactions by 35 MeV protons using a thick Be target. The neutron energy was analyzed by the time-of-flight method and bunched into 3 MeV wide energy bins, for each of which the spectrum of secondary γ-rays produced in an Fe sample was measured by a BGO scintillator at an angle of 144° to the neutron beam direction.

The obtained (n, xγ) cross sections agreed well with other data and the evaluated data file of ENDF/B-IV at neutron energies below 15 MeV where data were existing. The JENDL-3 file overestimated the γ-ray spectra at γ-ray energies of 3 to 7 MeV. The present work newly provided the data in the neutron energy range above 20 MeV. The GNASH calculation made by Young reproduced the measured data fairly well even at these higher energies.     

Measurement of Neutron-Production Double-Differential Cross Sections for Intermediate Energy Pion Incident Reaction

Neutron-production double-differential cross sections for 870-MeV π⁺ and π ^- and 2.1-GeV π⁺ mesons incident on iron and lead targets were measured with NE213 liquid scintillators by time-of-flight technique. NE213 liquid scintillators 12.7cm in diameter and 12.7cm thick were placed in directions of 15°, 30°, 60°, 90°, 120° and 150°. The typical flight path length was 1.5 m. Neutron detection efficiencies were derived from the calculation results of SCINFUL and CECIL codes. The experimental results were compared with the cascade-evaporation calculation code NUCLEUS. The calculation results are higher typically by a factor of two than the experimental data at neutron energies below about 30MeV. NUCLEUS overestimates π^+-incident neutron-production cross sections in forward angles at neutron energies of 100 to 500 MeV.     

Application of BGO Scintillators to Absolute Measurement of Neutron Capture Cross Sections between 0.01 eV and 10 eV

Applying a total energy absorption γ-ray detector composed of 12 bricks (5 × 5 cm², 7.5 cm thick) of BGO scintillators, the absolute measurement of capture cross sections for Au and Sb has been made in an energy region between 0.01 and 10eV using the linac time-of-flight method. Incident thermal neutron flux was absolutely determined by using the BGO detection system with a Sm sample. To extend the neutron flux measurement from the thermal neutron region to higher neutron energies, the ¹⁰B(n, αγ) reaction was applied. Absolute capture yield for the relevant capture sample was obtained by the saturated capture yield at a large resonance of the sample.

Gold was selected to investigate the application of the BGO detection system to the absolute measurement of the capture cross sections, since the ¹⁹⁷Au(n, γ)¹⁹⁸ Au reaction cross section is a well known standard one. The result of the ¹⁹⁷Au(n, γ)¹⁹⁸ Au reaction cross section showed good agreement with the evaluated data in JENDL Dosimetry File and ENDF/B-VI. Then, the detection system was applied to the Sb(n, γ) cross section measurement. Antimony has a large scattering-to-capture cross section ratio comparing to that of gold. The result showed good agreement with the evaluated data in JENDL-3.2 and ENDF/B-VI.     

Activation Cross Sections for (n, 2n) Reaction on Neodymium,Samarium, Gadolinium and Ytterbium at 14.6 MeV

Activation cross sections for the (n, 2n) reaction on Nd, Sm, Gd and Yb have been measured at 14.6 MeV by using a Ge(Li) γ-ray detector. The following cross sections (mb) have been obtained: ¹¹²Nd 1,675±160, ¹⁴³Nd 1,789±147, ¹⁵⁰Nd 1,720±128, ¹⁵⁴Sm 2,010±137, ¹⁶⁰Gd 2,173±152, ¹⁶⁰Yb 2,226 ±152. These (n,2n) cross sections are compared with the theoretical calculations performed by a new model including pre-equilibrium and statistical models. A good agreement between the experimental and calculated cross sections is obtained.     

Measurements of Double-Differential Neutron Emission Cross Sections of 6Li, 7Li and 9Be for 11.5 MeV and 18.0 MeV Neutrons

Double-differential neutron emission cross sections (DDXs) of ⁶Li, ⁷Li and ⁹Be were measured for 18.0 MeV and 11.5 MeV incident neutrons produced by the T(d, n) and ¹⁵N(d, n) reactions respectively, using the Tohoku University Dynamitron time-of-flight (TOF) spectrometer. The data were obtained at 13 laboratory angles, and angular-differential cross sections (ADXs) of elastic and inelastic scattering neutrons were derived from the DDXs. For 11.5 MeV neutrons, we obtained the neutron emission spectra over the secondary neutron energies by newly employing the double TOF method as well as the conventional one. In the measurements at 18.0 MeV, we achieved better energy resolution than in our previous studies by using a neutron detector that has a larger solid angle and a thinner tritium target. The experimental results of DDXs and ADXs were compared with our previous results and the evaluated data given in JENDL-3.2, JENDL Fusion File and ENDF/B-VI. It is found that the JENDL data reproduce the experimental ones very well.     

Gamma-Ray Production Cross Sections for Interactions of 14.8 MeV Neutrons with O,Na, Al,Cl, Cr,Fe, Ni,Cu and Pb

Production cross sections for 85 discrete γ-rays at 125° were measured with a Ge(Li) detector for interactions of 14.8 MeV neutrons with natural samples of O, Na, Al, Cl, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu and Pb. The obtained cross sections were compared with the results of previous works. For O, Na, Al, Cr and Ni, the present results agree with the previous data measured with monoenergetic neutron sources; for Cl, Fe, Cu and Pb, the present results are larger than the previous data. In comparison between the present results shown by histograms of γ-ray energy and unfolded data, a considerable discrepancy is found from some of the previous data for Fe.     

Measurements and Calculations of Neutron Energy Spectra Behind Polyethylene Shields Bombarded by 40- and 65-MeV Quasi-Monoenergetic Neutron Sources

Measurements of neutron energy spectra behind 30.5-, 61.0-, 122.0-, 183.0-cm-thick polyethylene shields bombarded by 40- and 65-MeV quasi-monoenergetic neutrons are performed at the 90-MeV AVF cyclotron of the TIARA (Takasaki Ion Accelerator for Advanced Radiation Application) at JAERI (Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute). Source neutrons are produced at 3.6- and 5.2-mm-thick⁷ Li targets bombarded by 43- and 68-MeV protons, respectively. A BC501A organic liquid scintillator and multi-moderator spectrometer with a ³He counter (Bonner ball) are used for spectrometry of transmitted neutrons and their energy spectra are obtained with the unfolding technique. The energy spectra from a few MeV up to a peak energy are obtained by the BC501A scintillator measurement and those below a few MeV down to thermal energy are obtained by the Bonner ball measurement. The measurements are performed on the neutron beam axis and at off-center positions, and attenuation profiles of neutron fluxes along the beam axis are obtained. The MORSE Monte Carlo calculations are performed with the DLC119/HIL086 multi-group cross section library for comparison with the measured data. The calculation generally gives a little overestimated fluxes, and a few % longer attenuation lengths of peak flux and dose equivalent.