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Title: Development of spectrometer for the measurement of (n,xp), (n,xd), and (n,x. cap alpha. ) cross sections, angular distributions and spectra at E/sub n/ = 15 MeV. [Cross sections significant below 2. 5 MeV]

Conference ·
OSTI ID:7211025

A spectrometer to measure neutron-induced charged-particle producing reactions was developed and yields data with greatly improved signal-to-background ratios. It consists of a magnetic quadrupole lens which focusses the charged particles onto a silicon surface barrier detector or a two-detector telescope which is more than 2 meters from the sample being irradiated. The efficiency of the spectrometer is calibrated experimentally and depends only on values for the (n,p) elastic cross section and the stopping power of polyethylene. Further development is underway to replace the surface-barrier ..delta..E counter with a proportional counter of larger area. This detector, combined with a larger E counter (surface barrier) could increase the effective solid angle by a factor of five. The results for (n,xp), (n,xd) and (n,x..cap alpha..) cross sections are summarized for the eight target materials studied so far. Measurements of the charged particle spectra have established that cross sections for production of protons below 2.5 MeV are significant for some targets; in fact protons as low as 800 keV have been detected from aluminum. These low energy protons would be quite difficult to measure with conventional counter telescope spectrometers.

Research Organization:
California Univ., Livermore (USA). Lawrence Livermore Lab.
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
OSTI ID:
7211025
Report Number(s):
UCRL-79454; CONF-770523-3; TRN: 77-014013
Resource Relation:
Conference: Symposium on neutron cross sections 10-40 MeV, Upton, NY, USA, 3 May 1977
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English