No Arabic abstract
The integral cross section of the $^{12}$C($n,p$)$^{12}$B reaction has been determined for the first time in the neutron energy range from threshold to several GeV at the n_TOF facility at CERN. The measurement relies on the activation technique, with the $beta$-decay of $^{12}$B measured over a period of four half-lives within the same neutron bunch in which the reaction occurs. The results indicate that model predictions, used in a variety of applications, are mostly inadequate. The value of the integral cross section reported here can be used as a benchmark for verifying or tuning model calculations.
The integral measurement of the $^{12}$C(n,p)$^{12}$B reaction was performed at the neutron time of flight facility n_TOF at CERN. The total number of $^{12}$B nuclei produced per neutron pulse of the n_TOF beam was determined using the activation technique in combination with a time of flight technique. The cross section is integrated over the n_TOF neutron energy spectrum from reaction threshold at 13.6 MeV to 10 GeV. Having been measured up to 1 GeV on basis of the $^{235}$U(n,f) reaction, the neutron energy spectrum above 200 MeV has been reevaluated due to the recent extension of the cross section reference for this particular reaction, which is otherwise considered a standard up to 200 MeV. The results from the dedicated GEANT4 simulations have been used to evaluate the neutron flux from 1 GeV up to 10 GeV. The experimental results related to the $^{12}$C(n,p)$^{12}$B reaction are compared with the evaluated cross sections from major libraries and with the predictions of different GEANT4 models, which mostly underestimate the $^{12}$B production. On the contrary, a good reproduction of the integral cross section derived from measurements is obtained with TALYS-1.6 calculations, with optimized parameters.
Background:The design of new nuclear reactors and transmutation devices requires to reduce the present neutron cross section uncertainties of minor actinides. Purpose: Reduce the $^{243}$Am(n,$gamma$) cross section uncertainty. Method: The $^{243}$Am(n,$gamma$) cross section has been measured at the n_TOF facility at CERN with a BaF$_{2}$ Total Absorption Calorimeter, in the energy range between 0.7 eV and 2.5 keV. Results: The $^{243}$Am(n,$gamma$) cross section has been successfully measured in the mentioned energy range. The resolved resonance region has been extended from 250 eV up to 400 eV. In the unresolved resonance region our results are compatible with one of the two incompatible capture data sets available below 2.5 keV. The data available in EXFOR and in the literature has been used to perform a simple analysis above 2.5 keV. Conclusions: The results of this measurement contribute to reduce the $^{243}$Am(n,$gamma$) cross section uncertainty and suggest that this cross section is underestimated up to 25% in the neutron energy range between 50 eV and a few keV in the present evaluated data libraries.
The $^{12}$C(n, 2n)$^{11}$C cross section was measured from just below threshold to 26.5 MeV using the Pelletron accelerator at Ohio University. Monoenergetic neutrons, produced via the $^3$H(d,n)$^4$He reaction, were allowed to strike targets of polyethylene and graphite. Activation of both targets was measured by counting positron annihilations resulting from the $beta^+$ decay of $^{11}$C. Annihilation gamma rays were detected, both in coincidence and singly, using back-to-back NaI detectors. The incident neutron flux was determined indirectly via $^{1}$H(n,p) protons elastically scattered from the polyethylene target. Previous measurements fall into upper and lower bands, the results of the present measurement are consistent with the upper band.
Carbon and oxygen burning reactions, in particular, $^{12}$C+$^{12}$C fusion, are important for the understanding and interpretation of the late phases of stellar evolution as well as the ignition and nucleosynthesis in cataclysmic binary systems such as type Ia supernovae and x-ray superbursts. A new measurement of this reaction has been performed at the University of Notre Dame using particle-$gamma$ coincidence techniques with SAND (a silicon detector array) at the high-intensity 5U Pelletron accelerator. New results for $^{12}$C+$^{12}$C fusion at low energies relevant to nuclear astrophysics are reported. They show strong disagreement with a recent measurement using the indirect Trojan Horse method. The impact on the carbon burning process under astrophysical scenarios will be discussed.
We report on the measurement of the $^{7}$Be($n, p$)$^{7}$Li cross section from thermal to approximately 325 keV neutron energy, performed in the high-flux experimental area (EAR2) of the n_TOF facility at CERN. This reaction plays a key role in the lithium yield of the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) for standard cosmology. The only two previous time-of-flight measurements performed on this reaction did not cover the energy window of interest for BBN, and showed a large discrepancy between each other. The measurement was performed with a Si-telescope, and a high-purity sample produced by implantation of a $^{7}$Be ion beam at the ISOLDE facility at CERN. While a significantly higher cross section is found at low-energy, relative to current evaluations, in the region of BBN interest the present results are consistent with the values inferred from the time-reversal $^{7}$Li($p, n$)$^{7}$Be reaction, thus yielding only a relatively minor improvement on the so-called Cosmological Lithium Problem (CLiP). The relevance of these results on the near-threshold neutron production in the p+$^{7}$Li reaction is also discussed.