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We discuss the possibility to build a neutron target for nuclear reaction studies in inverse kinematics utilizing a storage ring and radioactive ion beams. The proposed neutron target is a specially designed spallation target surrounded by a large moderator of heavy water (D2O). We present the resulting neutron spectra and their properties as a target. We discuss possible realizations at different experimental facilities.
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.
Cross sections for neutron-induced reactions of short-lived nuclei are essential for nuclear astrophysics since these reactions in the stars are responsible for the production of most heavy elements in the universe. These reactions are also key in applied domains like energy production and medicine. Nevertheless, neutron-induced cross-section measurements can be extremely challenging or even impossible to perform due to the radioactivity of the targets involved. Indirect measurements through the surrogate-reaction method can help to overcome these difficulties.
The surrogate-reaction method relies on the use of an alternative reaction that will lead to the formation of the same excited nucleus as in the neutron-induced reaction of interest. The decay probabilities (for fission, neutron and gamma-ray emission) of the nucleus produced via the surrogate reaction allow one to constrain models and the prediction of the desired neutron cross sections.
We propose to perform surrogate reaction measurements in inverse kinematics at heavy-ion storage rings, in particular at the CRYRING@ESR of the GSI/FAIR facility. We present the conceptual idea of the most promising setup to measure for the first time simultaneously the fission, neutron and gamma-ray emission probabilities. The results of the first simulations considering the 238U(d,d') reaction are shown, as well as new technical developments that are being carried out towards this set-up.
Neutron-induced cross sections of short-lived nuclei are highly relevant in many domains such as fundamental nuclear physics, astrophysics and applications in nuclear technology. In particular, these cross sections are essential for understanding the synthesis of elements via the s- and r stellar processes. However, the measurement of such cross sections with current techniques is very difficult or even impossible, because of the difficulties to produce and handle the necessary amounts of radioactive nuclei. Reaching the nuclei of interest is only possible by inverting the reaction kinematics with radioactive beams.
In this contribution we present a project for indirectly determining neutron cross sections via the surrogate-reaction method. This project is based on the measurement of transfer- or inelastic-scattering-induced decay probabilities in inverse kinematics at storage rings. The measured probabilities are then used to tune nuclear-reaction models that will provide much more accurate predictions of the desired neutron cross sections. We also discuss a very ambitious, long-term project to directly measure neutron cross sections in inverse kinematics. It consists in the combination of a radioactive beam facility, an ion storage ring and a spallation neutron source.
Ion optical calculations for a storage ring at the present GSI facility for direct proton-induced reactions relevant for different astrophysical processes are presented. As an example case, the 59Cu(p,γ) and 59Cu(p,α) reactions are shown. The branching of these two reactions is important in X-ray burst scenarios, since it determines the breakout out of the major 56Ni waiting point.
Stored and cooled highly-charged ions offer unprecedented capabilities for precision studies in realm of atomic-, nuclear-structure and astrophysics. In context of the latter, after the successful investigation of the cross section of 96Ru(p,γ) in 2009, in 2016 the first measurement of the 124Xe(p,γ)125Cs reaction was performed at the Experimental Storage Ring (ESR) at GSI.
Exclusive measurements of quasi-free proton scattering reactions in inverse and complete kinematics
(2015)
Quasi-free scattering reactions of the type (p, 2p)were measured for the first time exclusively in com-plete and inverse kinematics, using a 12C beam at an energy of ∼400MeV/u as a benchmark. This new technique has been developed to study the single-particle structure of exotic nuclei in experiments with radioactive-ion beams. The outgoing pair of protons and the fragments were measured simultaneously, enabling an unambiguous identification of the reaction channels and a redundant measurement of the kinematic observables. Both valence and deeply-bound nucleon orbits are probed, including those leading to unbound states of the daughter nucleus. Exclusive (p, 2p)cross sections of 15.8(18)mb, 1.9(2)mb and 1.5(2)mb to the low-lying 0p-hole states overlapping with the ground state (3/2−) and with the bound excited states of 11B at 2.125MeV (1/2−) and 5.02MeV (3/2−), respectively, were determined via γ-ray spectroscopy. Particle-unstable deep-hole states, corresponding to proton removal from the 0s-orbital, were studied via the invariant-mass technique. Cross sections and momentum distributions were ex-tracted and compared to theoretical calculations employing the eikonal formalism. The obtained results are in a good agreement with this theory and with direct-kinematics experiments. The dependence of the proton–proton scattering kinematics on the internal momentum of the struck proton and on its sep-aration energy was investigated for the first time in inverse kinematics employing a large-acceptance measurement.
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.
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.
Experimental study of the ¹⁵O(2p,γ)¹⁷Ne cross section by Coulomb dissociation for the rp process
(2016)
The time-reversed reaction 15O(2p, γ)17Ne has been studied by the Coulomb dissociation technique. Secondary 17Ne ion beams at 500 AMeV have been produced by fragmentation reactions of 20Ne in a beryllium production target and dissociated on a secondary Pb target. The incoming beam and the reaction products have been identified with the kinematically complete LAND-R3B experimental setup at GSI. The excitation energy prior to decay has been reconstructed by using the invariant-mass method. The preliminary differential and integral Coulomb Dissociation cross sections (σCoul) have been calculated, which provide a photoabsorption (σphoto) and a radiative capture cross section (σcap). Additionally, important information about the nuclear structure of the 17Ne nucleus will be obtained. The analysis is in progress.