Calculated neutron cross sections for Cu and Nb up to 32 MeV for neutron damage analysis

Cross sections for neutron interaction with Cu and Nb, with emphasis on spectra of light particles from binary reactions, are calculated for neutron energies from 4 to 32 MeV for estimating recoil probability densities for the analysis of damage experiments with a Be (d, n) neutron source. Nuclear model parameters were adjusted to reproduce the available cross-section data around 14 MeV. Helium production cross sections were also calculated for ⁶³Cu for neutrons below 20 MeV, as an illustration of the Hauser-Feshbach method for calculating tertiary reaction cross sections.