skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Measurement of the normalized U 238 ( n , f ) / U 235 ( n , f ) cross section ratio from threshold to 30 MeV with the NIFFTE fission Time Projection Chamber

Abstract

We present that the normalized 238U(n,f)/235U(n,f) cross section ratio has been measured using the NIFFTE fission Time Projection Chamber (fissionTPC) from the reaction threshold to 30 MeV . The fissionTPC is a two-volume MICROMEGAS time projection chamber that allows for full three-dimensional reconstruction of fission-fragment ionization profiles from neutron-induced fission. The measurement was performed at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, where the neutron energy is determined from neutron time of-flight. The 238U(n,f)/235U(n,f) ratio reported here is the first cross section measurement made with the fissionTPC, and will provide new experimental data for evaluation of the 238U(n,f) cross section, an important standard used in neutron-flux measurements. Use of a development target in this work prevented the determination of an absolute normalization, to be addressed in future measurements. Instead, the measured cross section ratio has been normalized to ENDF/B-VIII.β5 at 14.5 MeV.

Authors:
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; more »; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; « less
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
OSTI Identifier:
1432964
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1429130
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-733744
Journal ID: ISSN 2469-9985; PRVCAN; TRN: US1802531
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC52-07NA27344; AC52-06NA25396; NA0002921; 08-014; 00043028-00116
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Physical Review C
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 97; Journal Issue: 3; Journal ID: ISSN 2469-9985
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS

Citation Formats

Casperson, R. J., Asner, D. M., Baker, J., Baker, R. G., Barrett, J. S., Bowden, N. S., Brune, C., Bundgaard, J., Burgett, E., Cebra, D. A., Classen, T., Cunningham, M., Deaven, J., Duke, D. L., Ferguson, I., Gearhart, J., Geppert-Kleinrath, V., Greife, U., Grimes, S., Guardincerri, E., Hager, U., Hagmann, C., Heffner, M., Hensle, D., Hertel, N., Higgins, D., Hill, T., Isenhower, L. D., King, J., Klay, J. L., Kornilov, N., Kudo, R., Laptev, A. B., Loveland, W., Lynch, M., Lynn, W. S., Magee, J. A., Manning, B., Massey, T. N., McGrath, C., Meharchand, R., Mendenhall, M. P., Montoya, L., Pickle, N. T., Qu, H., Ruz, J., Sangiorgio, S., Schmitt, K. T., Seilhan, B., Sharma, S., Snyder, L., Stave, S., Tate, A. C., Tatishvili, G., Thornton, R. T., Tovesson, F., Towell, D. E., Towell, R. S., Walsh, N., Watson, S., Wendt, B., Wood, L., Yao, L., and Younes, W. Measurement of the normalized U238(n,f)/U235(n,f) cross section ratio from threshold to 30 MeV with the NIFFTE fission Time Projection Chamber. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevC.97.034618.
Casperson, R. J., Asner, D. M., Baker, J., Baker, R. G., Barrett, J. S., Bowden, N. S., Brune, C., Bundgaard, J., Burgett, E., Cebra, D. A., Classen, T., Cunningham, M., Deaven, J., Duke, D. L., Ferguson, I., Gearhart, J., Geppert-Kleinrath, V., Greife, U., Grimes, S., Guardincerri, E., Hager, U., Hagmann, C., Heffner, M., Hensle, D., Hertel, N., Higgins, D., Hill, T., Isenhower, L. D., King, J., Klay, J. L., Kornilov, N., Kudo, R., Laptev, A. B., Loveland, W., Lynch, M., Lynn, W. S., Magee, J. A., Manning, B., Massey, T. N., McGrath, C., Meharchand, R., Mendenhall, M. P., Montoya, L., Pickle, N. T., Qu, H., Ruz, J., Sangiorgio, S., Schmitt, K. T., Seilhan, B., Sharma, S., Snyder, L., Stave, S., Tate, A. C., Tatishvili, G., Thornton, R. T., Tovesson, F., Towell, D. E., Towell, R. S., Walsh, N., Watson, S., Wendt, B., Wood, L., Yao, L., & Younes, W. Measurement of the normalized U238(n,f)/U235(n,f) cross section ratio from threshold to 30 MeV with the NIFFTE fission Time Projection Chamber. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.97.034618
Casperson, R. J., Asner, D. M., Baker, J., Baker, R. G., Barrett, J. S., Bowden, N. S., Brune, C., Bundgaard, J., Burgett, E., Cebra, D. A., Classen, T., Cunningham, M., Deaven, J., Duke, D. L., Ferguson, I., Gearhart, J., Geppert-Kleinrath, V., Greife, U., Grimes, S., Guardincerri, E., Hager, U., Hagmann, C., Heffner, M., Hensle, D., Hertel, N., Higgins, D., Hill, T., Isenhower, L. D., King, J., Klay, J. L., Kornilov, N., Kudo, R., Laptev, A. B., Loveland, W., Lynch, M., Lynn, W. S., Magee, J. A., Manning, B., Massey, T. N., McGrath, C., Meharchand, R., Mendenhall, M. P., Montoya, L., Pickle, N. T., Qu, H., Ruz, J., Sangiorgio, S., Schmitt, K. T., Seilhan, B., Sharma, S., Snyder, L., Stave, S., Tate, A. C., Tatishvili, G., Thornton, R. T., Tovesson, F., Towell, D. E., Towell, R. S., Walsh, N., Watson, S., Wendt, B., Wood, L., Yao, L., and Younes, W. 2018. "Measurement of the normalized U238(n,f)/U235(n,f) cross section ratio from threshold to 30 MeV with the NIFFTE fission Time Projection Chamber". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.97.034618. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1432964.
@article{osti_1432964,
title = {Measurement of the normalized U238(n,f)/U235(n,f) cross section ratio from threshold to 30 MeV with the NIFFTE fission Time Projection Chamber},
author = {Casperson, R. J. and Asner, D. M. and Baker, J. and Baker, R. G. and Barrett, J. S. and Bowden, N. S. and Brune, C. and Bundgaard, J. and Burgett, E. and Cebra, D. A. and Classen, T. and Cunningham, M. and Deaven, J. and Duke, D. L. and Ferguson, I. and Gearhart, J. and Geppert-Kleinrath, V. and Greife, U. and Grimes, S. and Guardincerri, E. and Hager, U. and Hagmann, C. and Heffner, M. and Hensle, D. and Hertel, N. and Higgins, D. and Hill, T. and Isenhower, L. D. and King, J. and Klay, J. L. and Kornilov, N. and Kudo, R. and Laptev, A. B. and Loveland, W. and Lynch, M. and Lynn, W. S. and Magee, J. A. and Manning, B. and Massey, T. N. and McGrath, C. and Meharchand, R. and Mendenhall, M. P. and Montoya, L. and Pickle, N. T. and Qu, H. and Ruz, J. and Sangiorgio, S. and Schmitt, K. T. and Seilhan, B. and Sharma, S. and Snyder, L. and Stave, S. and Tate, A. C. and Tatishvili, G. and Thornton, R. T. and Tovesson, F. and Towell, D. E. and Towell, R. S. and Walsh, N. and Watson, S. and Wendt, B. and Wood, L. and Yao, L. and Younes, W.},
abstractNote = {We present that the normalized 238U(n,f)/235U(n,f) cross section ratio has been measured using the NIFFTE fission Time Projection Chamber (fissionTPC) from the reaction threshold to 30 MeV . The fissionTPC is a two-volume MICROMEGAS time projection chamber that allows for full three-dimensional reconstruction of fission-fragment ionization profiles from neutron-induced fission. The measurement was performed at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, where the neutron energy is determined from neutron time of-flight. The 238U(n,f)/235U(n,f) ratio reported here is the first cross section measurement made with the fissionTPC, and will provide new experimental data for evaluation of the 238U(n,f) cross section, an important standard used in neutron-flux measurements. Use of a development target in this work prevented the determination of an absolute normalization, to be addressed in future measurements. Instead, the measured cross section ratio has been normalized to ENDF/B-VIII.β5 at 14.5 MeV.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevC.97.034618},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1432964}, journal = {Physical Review C},
issn = {2469-9985},
number = 3,
volume = 97,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Mar 23 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Fri Mar 23 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}

Journal Article:

Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 14 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Figures / Tables:

FIG. 1. FIG. 1. : (Color online) Past measurements of the 238U(n,f)/235U(n,f) cross section ratio shown between 0.5− 30 MeV [11–27]. Data is compared to the ENDF/B-VIII.$$β$$5 [28] evaluation, shown with the evaluated uncertainty. The uncertainty at 20 MeV, the maximum value at which an uncertainty is given, is used for energiesmore » greater than that value. An expanded view of the data is shown in the inset, compared to the ENDF/B-VII.1 [29] and ENDF/B-VIII.$$β$$5 evaluations, indicating a recent 40% change to the 238U(n,f) cross section at 1.2 MeV.« less

Save / Share:

Works referenced in this record:

A new approach to measuring fission cross-section ratios
journal, May 1982


EMPIRE: Nuclear Reaction Model Code System for Data Evaluation
journal, December 2007


Use of Covariance Data to Select Experiments Relevant to Target Systems for GNEP
journal, December 2008


The Ratio of the Uranium-238 to Uranium-235 Fission Cross Sections from 5.3 to 10.3 MeV
journal, October 1975


Nuclear data sensitivity, uncertainty and target accuracy assessment for future nuclear systems
journal, May 2006


Neutron-Induced Fission of 233 U, 238 U, 232 Th, 239 Pu, 237 Np, nat Pb and 209 Bi Relative to 235 U in the Energy Range 1-200 MeV
journal, August 2002


Neutron-induced fission cross sections of Pu 242 from 0.3 MeV to 3 MeV
journal, October 2015


The Ratio of the Uranium-238 to Uranium-235 Fission Cross Sections from 1 to 5 MeV
journal, November 1972


Growth and surface morphology of uranium films during molecular plating
journal, November 2011

  • Sadi, S.; Paulenova, A.; Watson, P. R.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 655, Issue 1
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2011.06.025

Electrodeposition of U and Pu on thin C and Ti substrates
journal, November 2011

  • Henderson, R. A.; Gostic, J. M.; Burke, J. T.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 655, Issue 1
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2011.06.023

An image synthesizer
journal, July 1985


A fission ionization detector for neutron flux measurements at a spallation source
journal, November 1993

  • Wender, S. A.; Balestrini, S.; Brown, A.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 336, Issue 1-2
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-9002(93)91102-S

ENDF/B-VII.1 Nuclear Data for Science and Technology: Cross Sections, Covariances, Fission Product Yields and Decay Data
journal, December 2011


Measurements of the Neutron-Induced Fission Cross Sections of 234 U, 236 U, and 238 U Relative to 235 U from 0.1 to 30 MeV
journal, July 1977


A time projection chamber for high accuracy and precision fission cross-section measurements
journal, September 2014

  • Heffner, M.; Asner, D. M.; Baker, R. G.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 759
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2014.05.057

Needs and Issues of Covariance Data Application
journal, December 2008


Target preparation for the fission TPC
journal, July 2009


Neutron-induced fission cross section of Pu 240 from 0.5 MeV to 3 MeV
journal, July 2015


Digital techniques for real-time pulse shaping in radiation measurements
journal, December 1994

  • Jordanov, Valentin T.; Knoll, Glenn F.; Huber, Alan C.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 353, Issue 1-3
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-9002(94)91652-7

SRIM – The stopping and range of ions in matter (2010)
journal, June 2010

  • Ziegler, James F.; Ziegler, M. D.; Biersack, J. P.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, Vol. 268, Issue 11-12
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2010.02.091

Neutron-Induced Fission Cross-Section Ratios for 239 Pu, 240 Pu, 242 Pu, and 244 Pu Relative to 235 U from 0.5 to 400 MeV
journal, June 1998


The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center
journal, June 2006

  • Lisowski, Paul W.; Schoenberg, Kurt F.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 562, Issue 2
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2006.02.178

Energy losses of 252Cf fission fragments in thin foils
journal, July 2006

  • Knyazheva, G. N.; Khlebnikov, S. V.; Kozulin, E. M.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, Vol. 248, Issue 1
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2006.04.071

A Compact, Flexible, High Channel Count DAQ Built From Off-the-Shelf Components
journal, June 2013


Fast Neutron–Induced Fission Cross Sections of 233, 234, 236, 238 U up to 200 MeV
journal, September 2014