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Although the 12C(n,p)12B and 12C(n,d)11B reactions are of interest in several fields of basic and applied Nuclear Physics the present knowledge of these two cross-sections is far from being accurate and reliable, with both evaluations and data showing sizable discrepancies. As part of the challenging n_TOF program on (n,cp) nuclear reactions study, the energy differential cross-sections of the 12C(n,p)12B and 12C(n,d)11 B reactions have been measured at CERN from the reaction thresholds up to 30 MeV neutron energy. Both measurements have been recently performed at the long flight-path (185 m) experimental area of the n_TOF facility at CERN using a pure (99.95%) rigid graphite target and two silicon telescopes. In this paper an overview of the experiment is presented together with a few preliminary results.
The aim of this work is to provide a precise and accurate measurement of the 238U(n,γ) reaction cross section in the energy region from 1 eV to 700 keV. This reaction is of fundamental importance for the design calculations of nuclear reactors, governing the behavior of the reactor core. In particular, fast reactors, which are experiencing a growing interest for their ability to burn radioactive waste, operate in the high energy region of the neutron spectrum. In this energy region most recent evaluations disagree due to inconsistencies in the existing measurements of up to 15%. In addition, the assessment of nuclear data uncertainty performed for innovative reactor systems shows that the uncertainty in the radiative capture cross section of 238U should be further reduced to 1–3% in the energy region from 20 eV to 25 keV. To this purpose, addressed by the Nuclear Energy Agency as a priority nuclear data need, complementary experiments, one at the GELINA and two at the n_TOF facility, were proposed and carried out within the 7th Framework Project ANDES of the European Commission. The results of one of these 238U(n,γ) measurements performed at the n_TOF CERN facility are presented in this work. The γ-ray cascade following the radiative neutron capture has been detected exploiting a setup of two C6D6 liquid scintillators. Resonance parameters obtained from this work are on average in excellent agreement with the ones reported in evaluated libraries. In the unresolved resonance region, this work yields a cross section in agreement with evaluated libraries up to 80 keV, while for higher energies our results are significantly higher.
An important experimental program on Nuclear Astrophysics is being carried out at the n_TOF since several years, in order to address the still open issues in stellar and primordial nucleosynthesis. Several neutron capture reactions relevant to s-process nucleosynthesis have been measured so far, some of which on important branching point radioisotopes. Furthermore, the construction of a second experimental area has recently opened the way to challenging measurements of (n, charged particle) reactions on isotopes of short half-life. The Nuclear Astrophysics program of the n_TOF Collaboration is here described, with emphasis on recent results relevant for stellar nucleosynthesis, stellar neutron sources and primordial nucleosynthesis.
The spent fuel of current nuclear reactors contains fissile plutonium isotopes that can be combined with 238U to make mixed oxide (MOX) fuel. In this way the Pu from spent fuel is used in a new reactor cycle, contributing to the long-term sustainability of nuclear energy. The use of MOX fuels in thermal and fast reactors requires accurate capture and fission cross sections. For the particular case of 242Pu, the previous neutron capture cross section measurements were made in the 70's, providing an uncertainty of about 35% in the keV region. In this context, the Nuclear Energy Agency recommends in its “High Priority Request List” and its report WPEC-26 that the capture cross section of 242Pu should be measured with an accuracy of at least 7–12% in the neutron energy range between 500 eV and 500 keV. This work presents a brief description of the measurement performed at n_TOF-EAR1, the data reduction process and the first ToF capture measurement on this isotope in the last 40 years, providing preliminary individual resonance parameters beyond the current energy limits in the evaluations, as well as a preliminary set of average resonance parameters.
73Ge(n, γ ) cross sections were measured at the neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF at CERN up to neutron energies of 300 keV, providing for the first time experimental data above 8 keV. Results indicate that the stellar cross section at kT = 30 keV is 1.5 to 1.7 times higher than most theoretical predictions. The new cross sections result in a substantial decrease of 73Ge produced in stars, which would explain the low isotopic abundance of 73Ge in the solar system.
Neutron-induced reaction cross sections are important for a wide variety of research fields ranging from the study of nuclear level densities, nucleosynthesis to applications of nuclear technology like design, and criticality and safety assessment of existing and future nuclear reactors, radiation dosimetry, medical applications, nuclear waste transmutation, accelerator-driven systems and fuel cycle investigations. Simulations and calculations of nuclear technology applications largely rely on evaluated nuclear data libraries. The evaluations in these libraries are based both on experimental data and theoretical models. CERN’s neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF has produced a considerable amount of experimental data since it has become fully operational with the start of its scientific measurement programme in 2001. While for a long period a single measurement station (EAR1) located at 185 m from the neutron production target was available, the construction of a second beam line at 20 m (EAR2) in 2014 has substantially increased the measurement capabilities of the facility. An outline of the experimental nuclear data activities at n_TOF will be presented.
Above 1 MeV of incident neutron energy the fission fragment angular distribution (FFAD) has generally a strong anisotropic behavior due to the combination of the incident orbital momentum and the intrinsic spin of the fissioning nucleus. This effect has to be taken into account for the efficiency estimation of devices used for fission cross section measurements. In addition it bears information on the spin deposition mechanism and on the structure of transitional states. We designed and constructed a detection device, based on Parallel Plate Avalanche Counters (PPAC), for measuring the fission fragment angular distributions of several isotopes, in particular 232Th. The measurement has been performed at n_TOF at CERN taking advantage of the very broad energy spectrum of the neutron beam. Fission events were recognized by back to back detection in coincidence in two position-sensitive detectors surrounding the targets. The detection efficiency, depending mostly on the stopping of fission fragments in backings and electrodes, has been computed with a Geant4 simulation and validated by the comparison to the measured case of 235U below 3 keV where the emission is isotropic. In the case of 232Th, the result is in good agreement with previous data below 10 MeV, with a good reproduction of the structures associated to vibrational states and the opening of second chance fission. In the 14 MeV region our data are much more accurate than previous ones which are broadly scattered.
The neutron sensitivity of the C6D6 detector setup used at n_TOF facility for capture measurements has been studied by means of detailed GEANT4 simulations. A realistic software replica of the entire n_TOF experimental hall, including the neutron beam line, sample, detector supports and the walls of the experimental area has been implemented in the simulations. The simulations have been analyzed in the same manner as experimental data, in particular by applying the Pulse Height Weighting Technique. The simulations have been validated against a measurement of the neutron background performed with a natC sample, showing an excellent agreement above 1 keV. At lower energies, an additional component in the measured natC yield has been discovered, which prevents the use of natC data for neutron background estimates at neutron energies below a few hundred eV. The origin and time structure of the neutron background have been derived from the simulations. Examples of the neutron background for two different samples are demonstrating the important role of accurate simulations of the neutron background in capture cross-section measurements.
The neutron capture cross section of 58Ni was measured at the neutron time of flight facility n_TOF at CERN, from 27 meV to 400 keV neutron energy. Special care has been taken to identify all the possible sources of background, with the so-called neutron background obtained for the first time using high-precision GEANT4 simulations. The energy range up to 122 keV was treated as the resolved resonance region, where 51 resonances were identified and analyzed by a multilevel R-matrix code SAMMY. Above 122 keV the code SESH was used in analyzing the unresolved resonance region of the capture yield. Maxwellian averaged cross sections were calculated in the temperature range of kT = 5 – 100 keV, and their astrophysical implications were investigated.
Fission program at n_TOF
(2019)
Since its start in 2001 the n_TOF collaboration developed a measurement program on fission, in view of advanced fuels in new generation reactors. A special effort was made on measurement of cross sections of actinides, exploiting the peculiarity of the n_TOF neutron beam which spans a huge energy domain, from the thermal region up to GeV. Moreover fission fragment angular distributions have also been measured. An overview of the cross section results achieved with different detectors is presented, including a discussion of the 237Np case where discrepancies showed up between different detector systems. The results on the anisotropy of the fission fragments and its implication on the mechanism of neutron absorption, and in applications, are also shown.
Feasibility, design and sensitivity studies on innovative nuclear reactors that could address the issue of nuclear waste transmutation using fuels enriched in minor actinides, require high accuracy cross section data for a variety of neutron-induced reactions from thermal energies to several tens of MeV. The isotope 241Am (T1/2= 433 years) is present in high-level nuclear waste (HLW), representing about 1.8 % of the actinide mass in spent PWR UOx fuel. Its importance increases with cooling time due to additional production from the β-decay of 241Pu with a half-life of 14.3 years. The production rate of 241 Am in conventional reactors, including its further accumulation through the decay of 241Pu and its destruction through transmutation/incineration are very important parameters for the design of any recycling solution. In the present work, the 241 Am(n,f) reaction cross-section was measured using Micromegas detectors at the Experimental Area 2 of the n_TOF facility at CERN. For the measurement, the 235U(n,f) and 238U(n,f) reference reactions were used for the determination of the neutron flux. In the present work an overview of the experimental setup and the adopted data analysis techniques is given along with preliminary results.
The (n, γ) cross sections of the gadolinium isotopes play an important role in the study of the stellar nucleosynthesis. In particular, among the isotopes heavier than Fe, 154Gd together with 152Gd have the peculiarity to be mainly produced by the slow capture process, the so-called s-process, since they are shielded against the β-decay chains from the r-process region by their stable samarium isobars. Such a quasi pure s-process origin makes them crucial for testing the robustness of stellar models in galactic chemical evolution (GCE). According to recent models, the 154Gd and 152Gd abundances are expected to be 15-20% lower than the reference un-branched s-process 150Sm isotope. The close correlation between stellar abundances and neutron capture cross sections prompted for an accurate measurement of 154Gd cross section in order to reduce the uncertainty attributable to nuclear physics input and eventually rule out one of the possible causes of present discrepancies between observation and model predictions. To this end, the neutron capture cross section of 154Gd was measured in a wide neutron energy range (from thermal up to some keV) with high resolution in the first experimental area of the neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF (EAR1) at CERN. In this contribution, after a brief description of the motivation and of the experimental setup used in the measurement, the preliminary results of the 154Gd neutron capture reaction as well as their astrophysical implications are presented.
Monte Carlo simulations and n-p differential scattering data measured with Proton Recoil Telescopes
(2020)
The neutron-induced fission cross section of 235U, a standard at thermal energy and between 0.15 MeV and 200 MeV, plays a crucial role in nuclear technology applications. The long-standing need of improving cross section data above 20 MeV and the lack of experimental data above 200 MeV motivated a new experimental campaign at the n_TOF facility at CERN. The measurement has been performed in 2018 at the experimental area 1 (EAR1), located at 185 m from the neutron-producing target (the experiment is presented by A. Manna et al. in a contribution to this conference). The 235U(n,f) cross section from 20 MeV up to about 1 GeV has been measured relative to the 1H(n,n)1H reaction, which is considered the primary reference in this energy region. The neutron flux impinging on the 235U sample (a key quantity for determining the fission events) has been obtained by detecting recoil protons originating from n-p scattering in a C2H4 sample. Two Proton Recoil Telescopes (PRT), consisting of several layers of solid-state detectors and fast plastic scintillators, have been located at proton scattering angles of 25.07° and 20.32°, out of the neutron beam. The PRTs exploit the ΔE-E technique for particle identification, a basic requirement for the rejection of charged particles from neutron-induced reactions in carbon. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations were performed to characterize proton transport through the different slabs of silicon and scintillation detectors, to optimize the experimental set-up and to deduce the efficiency of the whole PRT detector. In this work we compare measured data collected with the PRTs with a full Monte Carlo simulation based on the Geant-4 toolkit.
Since the start of its operation in 2001, based on an idea of Prof. Carlo Rubbia [1], the neutron time of-flight facility of CERN, n_TOF, has become one of the most forefront neutron facilities in the world for wide-energy spectrum neutron cross section measurements. Thanks to the combination of excellent neutron energy resolution and high instantaneous neutron flux available in the two experimental areas, the second of which has been constructed in 2014, n_TOF is providing a wealth of new data on neutron-induced reactions of interest for nuclear astrophysics, advanced nuclear technologies and medical applications. The unique features of the facility will continue to be exploited in the future, to perform challenging new measurements addressing the still open issues and long-standing quests in the field of neutron physics. In this document the main characteristics of the n_TOF facility and their relevance for neutron studies in the different areas of research will be outlined, addressing the possible future contribution of n_TOF in the fields of nuclear astrophysics, nuclear technologies and medical applications. In addition, the future perspectives of the facility will be described including the upgrade of the spallation target, the setup of an imaging installation and the construction of a new irradiation area.
The study of neutron-induced reactions on actinides is of considerable importance for the design of advanced nuclear systems and alternative fuel cycles. Specifically, 230Th is produced from the α-decay of 234U as a byproduct of the 232Th/233U fuel cycle, thus the accurate knowledge of its fission cross section is strongly required. However, few experimental datasets exist in literature with large deviations among them, covering the energy range between 0.2 to 25 MeV. In addition, the study of the 230Th(n,f) cross-section is of great interest in the research on the fission process related to the structure of the fission barriers. Previous measurements have revealed a large resonance at En=715 keV and additional fine structures, but with high discrepancies among the cross-section values of these measurements. This contribution presents preliminary results of the 230Th(n,f) cross-section measurements at the CERN n_TOF facility. The high purity targets of the natural, but very rare isotope 230Th, were produced at JRC-Geel in Belgium. The measurements were performed at both experimental areas (EAR-1 and EAR-2) of the n_TOF facility, covering a very broad energy range from thermal up to at least 100 MeV. The experimental setup was based on Micromegas detectors with the 235U(n,f) and 238U(n,f) reaction cross-sections used as reference.
New measurements of the 7Be(n,α)4He and 7Be(n,p)7Li reaction cross sections from thermal to keV neutron energies have been recently performed at CERN/n_TOF. Based on the new experimental results, astrophysical reaction rates have been derived for both reactions, including a proper evaluation of their uncertainties in the thermal energy range of interest for big bang nucleosynthesis studies. The new estimate of the 7Be destruction rate, based on these new results, yields a decrease of the predicted cosmological 7Li abundance insufficient to provide a viable solution to the cosmological lithium problem.
Setup for the measurement of the 235U(n,f) cross section relative to n-p scattering up to 1 GeV
(2020)
The neutron induced fission of 235U is extensively used as a reference for neutron fluence measurements in various applications, ranging from the investigation of the biological effectiveness of high energy neutrons, to the measurement of high energy neutron cross sections of relevance for accelerator driven nuclear systems. Despite its widespread use, no data exist on neutron induced fission of 235U above 200 MeV. The neutron facility n_TOF offers the possibility to improve the situation. The measurement of 235U(n,f) relative to the differential n-p scattering cross-section, was carried out in September 2018 with the aim of providing accurate and precise cross section data in the energy range from 10 MeV up to 1 GeV. In such measurements, Recoil Proton Telescopes (RPTs) are used to measure the neutron flux while the fission events are detected and counted with dedicated detectors. In this paper the measurement campaign and the experimental set-up are illustrated.
Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are an essential tool to determine fundamental features of a neutron beam, such as the neutron flux or the γ-ray background, that sometimes can not be measured or at least not in every position or energy range. Until recently, the most widely used MC codes in this field had been MCNPX and FLUKA. However, the Geant4 toolkit has also become a competitive code for the transport of neutrons after the development of the native Geant4 format for neutron data libraries, G4NDL. In this context, we present the Geant4 simulations of the neutron spallation target of the n_TOF facility at CERN, done with version 10.1.1 of the toolkit. The first goal was the validation of the intra-nuclear cascade models implemented in the code using, as benchmark, the characteristics of the neutron beam measured at the first experimental area (EAR1), especially the neutron flux and energy distribution, and the time distribution of neutrons of equal kinetic energy, the so-called Resolution Function. The second goal was the development of a Monte Carlo tool aimed to provide useful calculations for both the analysis and planning of the upcoming measurements at the new experimental area (EAR2) of the facility.
An accurate measurement of the 140Ce(n,γ) energy-dependent cross-section was performed at the n_TOF facility at CERN. This cross-section is of great importance because it represents a bottleneck for the s-process nucleosynthesis and determines to a large extent the cerium abundance in stars. The measurement was motivated by the significant difference between the cerium abundance measured in globular clusters and the value predicted by theoretical stellar models. This discrepancy can be ascribed to an overestimation of the 140Ce capture cross-section due to a lack of accurate nuclear data. For this measurement, we used a sample of cerium oxide enriched in 140Ce to 99.4%. The experimental apparatus consisted of four deuterated benzene liquid scintillator detectors, which allowed us to overcome the difficulties present in the previous measurements, thanks to their very low neutron sensitivity. The accurate analysis of the p-wave resonances and the calculation of their average parameters are fundamental to improve the evaluation of the 140Ce Maxwellian-averaged cross-section.