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Institute
Present nuclear reaction network computations for astrophysical simulations involve many different types of rates, including neutron-capture reactions of interest for the modeling of heavy-element nucleosynthesis. While for many of them we still have to rely on theoretical calculations, an increasing number of experimentally-determined cross sections have now become available. In this contribution, we present “ASTrophysical Rate and rAw data Library” (ASTRAL), a new online database for neutron-capture cross sections based on experimental results, mainly obtained through activation and timeof-flight measurements. For the evaluation process, cross sections were re-calculated starting from raw data and by considering recent changes in physical properties of the involved isotopes (e.g., half-life and γ-ray intensities). We show the current status of the database, the techniques adopted to derive the recommended Maxwellian-averaged cross sections, and future developments.
To determine the neutron flux in activation experiments, a commonly used monitor is zirconium and in particular the stable isotopes 94,96Zr. 96Zr is very sensitive to epithermal neutrons. Despite its widespread application, most gamma intensities of the radioactive neutron capture product, 97Zr, yield large uncertainties. With the help of a new γ spectroscopy setup and GEANT simulations, we succeeded in determining a new set of γ-ray intensities with significantly reduced uncertainties.
Background: The photon strength functions (PSFs) and nuclear level density (NLD) are key ingredients for calculation of the photon interaction with nuclei, in particular the reaction cross sections. These cross sections are important especially in nuclear astrophysics and in the development of advanced nuclear technologies.
Purpose: The role of the scissors mode in the M1 PSF of (well-deformed) actinides was investigated by several experimental techniques. The analyses of different experiments result in significant differences, especially on the strength of the mode. The shape of the low-energy tail of the giant electric dipole resonance is uncertain as well. In particular, some works proposed a presence of the E1 pygmy resonance just above 7 MeV. Because of these inconsistencies additional information on PSFs in this region is of great interest.
Methods: The γ-ray spectra from neutron-capture reactions on the 234U, 236 U, and 238 U nuclei have been measured with the total absorption calorimeter of the n_TOF facility at CERN. The background-corrected sum-energy and multi-step-cascade spectra were extracted for several isolated s-wave resonances up to about 140 eV.
Results: The experimental spectra were compared to statistical model predictions coming from a large selection of models of photon strength functions and nuclear level density. No combination of PSF and NLD models from literature is able to globally describe our spectra. After extensive search we were able to find model combinations with modified generalized Lorentzian (MGLO) E1 PSF, which match the experimental spectra as well as the total radiative widths.
Conclusions: The constant temperature energy dependence is favored for a NLD. The tail of giant electric dipole resonance is well described by the MGLO model of the E1 PSF with no hint of pygmy resonance. The M1 PSF must contain a very strong, relatively wide, and likely double-resonance scissors mode. The mode is responsible for about a half of the total radiative width of neutron resonances and significantly affects the radiative cross section.
The 124Xe(p,γ) reaction has been measured for the first time at energies around the Gamow window by using stored ions at the ESR facility. The desired beam energies below 10 MeV/u introduce new experimental challenges like windowless ions detection under UHV conditions, extremely short beam lifetimes and efficient beam deceleration and cooling, all of which have been successfully met.
The neutron-unbound isotope 13Be has been studied in several experiments using different reactions, different projectile energies, and different experimental setups. There is, however, no real consensus in the interpretation of the data, in particular concerning the structure of the low-lying excited states. Gathering new experimental information, which may reveal the 13Be structure, is a challenge, particularly in light of its bridging role between 12Be, where the N = 8 neutron shell breaks down, and the Borromean halo nucleus 14Be. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the role of bound excited states in the reaction product 12Be after proton knockout from 14B, by measuring coincidences between 12Be, neutrons, and γ rays originating from de-excitation of states fed by neutron decay of 13Be. The 13Be isotopes were produced in proton knockout from a 400 MeV/nucleon 14B beam impinging on a CH2 target. The 12 Be-n relative-energy spectrum d σ /d Ef n was obtained from coincidences between 12Be(g.s.) and a neutron, and also as threefold coincidences by adding γ rays, from the de-excitation of excited states in 12Be. Neutron decay from the first 5/2+ state in 13Be to the 2+ state in 12Be at 2.11 MeV is confirmed. An energy independence of the proton-knockout mechanism is found from a comparison with data taken with a 35 MeV/nucleon 14B beam. A low-lying p-wave resonance in 13Be(1/2−) is confirmed by comparing proton- and neutron-knockout data from 14B and 14Be.
Quasifree one-proton knockout reactions have been employed in inverse kinematics for a systematic study of the structure of stable and exotic oxygen isotopes at the R3B/LAND setup with incident beam energies in the range of 300–450 MeV/u. The oxygen isotopic chain offers a large variation of separation energies that allows for a quantitative understanding of single-particle strength with changing isospin asymmetry. Quasifree knockout reactions provide a complementary approach to intermediate-energy one-nucleon removal reactions. Inclusive cross sections for quasifree knockout reactions of the type AO(p,2p)A−1N have been determined and compared to calculations based on the eikonal reaction theory. The reduction factors for the single-particle strength with respect to the independent-particle model were obtained and compared to state-of-the-art ab initio predictions. The results do not show any significant dependence on proton-neutron asymmetry.
The proton-removal mechanism of the 12CB reaction induced on a carbon target via elementary nucleon-nucleon scattering is investigated in exclusive triple-coincidence measurements. The observed two-nucleon angular correlations are found to be consistent with quasi-free scattering of a projectile-like proton off a target-like nucleon. Exclusive cross sections for one-step pp and pn interactions are determined as [formula] and [formula], respectively. The extracted quasi-free component amounts up to 58(4)% of the total proton-removal cross section. The results are compared to total proton-removal cross sections obtained from the experiment and eikonal reaction theory.
The Coulomb Dissociation (CD) cross sections of the stable isotopes 92,94,100Mo and of the unstable isotope 93Mo were measured at the LAND/R3B setup at GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt, Germany. Experimental data on these isotopes may help to explain the problem of the underproduction of 92,94Mo and 96,98Ru in the models of p-process nucleosynthesis. The CD cross sections obtained for the stable Mo isotopes are in good agreement with experiments performed with real photons, thus validating the method of Coulomb Dissociation. The result for the reaction 93Mo(γ,n) is especially important since the corresponding cross section has not been measured before. A preliminary integral Coulomb Dissociation cross section of the 94Mo(γ,n) reaction is presented. Further analysis will complete the experimental database for the (γ,n) production chain of the p-isotopes of molybdenum.
NeuLAND (New Large-Area Neutron Detector) is the next-generation neutron detector for the R3B (Reactions with Relativistic Radioactive Beams) experiment at FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research). NeuLAND detects neutrons with energies from 100 to 1000 MeV, featuring a high detection efficiency, a high spatial and time resolution, and a large multi-neutron reconstruction efficiency. This is achieved by a highly granular design of organic scintillators: 3000 individual submodules with a size of 5 × 5 × 250 cm3 are arranged in 30 double planes with 100 submodules each, providing an active area of 250 × 250 cm2 and a total depth of 3 m. The spatial resolution due to the granularity together with a time resolution of 150 ps ensures high-resolution capabilities. In conjunction with calorimetric properties, a multi-neutron reconstruction efficiency of 50% to 70% for four-neutron events will be achieved, depending on both the emission scenario and the boundary conditions allowed for the reconstruction method. We present in this paper the final design of the detector as well as results from test measurements and simulations on which this design is based.
New experimental data for dissociation of relativistic 17Ne projectiles incident on targets of lead, carbon, and polyethylene targets at GSI are presented. Special attention is paid to the excitation and decay of narrow resonant states in 17Ne. Distributions of internal energy in the three-body system have been determined together with angular and partial-energy correlations between the decay products in different energy regions. The analysis was done using existing experimental data on 17Ne and its mirror nucleus 17N. The isobaric multiplet mass equation is used for assignment of observed resonances and their spins and parities. A combination of data from the heavy and light targets yielded cross sections and transition probabilities for the Coulomb excitations of the narrow resonant states. The resulting transition probabilities provide information relevant for a better understanding of the 17Ne structure.