Neutron inelastic scattering and reactions in natural Pb as a background in neutrinoless double-{beta}-decay experiments
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)
- Department of Earth Science and Physics, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota 57069 (United States)
Inelastic neutron scattering and reactions on Pb isotopes can result in {gamma} rays near the signature end-point energy in a number of {beta}{beta} isotopes. In particular, there are {gamma}-ray transitions in {sup 206,207,208}Pb that might produce energy deposits at the {sup 76}GeQ{sub {beta}}{sub {beta}} in Ge detectors used for 0{nu}{beta}{beta} searches. The levels that produce these {gamma} rays can be excited by (n,n{sup '}{gamma}) or (n,xn{gamma}) reactions, but the cross sections are small and previously unmeasured. This work uses the pulsed neutron beam at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center to directly measure reactions of interest to {beta}{beta}-decay experiments. The cross section on {sup nat}Pb to produce the 2041-keV {gamma} ray from {sup 206}Pb is measured to be 3.6 {+-} 0.7 (stat.) {+-} 0.3 (syst.) mb at {approx_equal}9.6 MeV. The cross section on {sup nat}Pb to produce the 3061,3062-keV {gamma} rays from {sup 207}Pb and {sup 208}Pb is measured to be 3.9 {+-} 0.8 (stat.) {+-} 0.4 (syst.) mb at the same energy. We report cross sections or place upper limits on the cross sections for exciting some other levels in Pb that have transition energies corresponding to Q{sub {beta}}{sub {beta}} in other {beta}{beta} isotopes.
- OSTI ID:
- 21286955
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. C, Nuclear Physics, Vol. 79, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevC.79.054604; (c) 2009 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0556-2813
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Inelastic neutron scattering studies of Ge-76 and Se-76: relevance to neutrinoless double-beta decay
Neutron inelastic scattering processes as a background for double-{beta} decay experiments