Statistical neutron capture in the limit of low nuclear level density
A major barrier in the study of neutron-induced nuclear reactions is the impossibility of direct measurements with short-lived radioactive isotopes. For these exotic nuclei, theoretical inputs such as the Photon Strength Function (PSF) are poorly constrained. At Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments (DANCE) provides direct measurements of γ-ray cascades following neutron capture reactions on stable or long-lived radioactive nuclei. While Hauser-Feshbach calculations can provide reasonable predictions for neutron capture on heavy nuclei, their application to neutron-rich light nuclei with low nuclear level densities and low neutron separation energies is questionable. In this paper, we report on the γ-ray spectra from individual neutron resonances from the 96Zr(n, γ) reaction, with an emphasis on the sensitivity of of the γ-ray spectra to different PSF models. The comparison of the measured γ-ray spectra with predicted spectra does not support the addition of a low-energy enhancement of the size reported in many charged-particle reaction measurements, but the sensitivity of the γ-ray spectra to different PSF models is weak.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- 89233218CNA000001; AC52-06NA25396
- OSTI ID:
- 1501813
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-18-28819
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review C, Journal Name: Physical Review C Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 99; ISSN PRVCAN; ISSN 2469-9985
- Publisher:
- American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Benchmarking the extraction of statistical neutron capture cross sections on short-lived nuclei for applications using the -Oslo method
Detector-Response Correction of Two-Dimensional γ -Ray Spectra from Neutron Capture