Measurement of material isotopics and atom number ratio with α-particle spectroscopy for a NIFFTE fission Time Projection Chamber actinide target

Monterial, Mateusz; Schmitt, K. T.; Prokop, C.; Leal-Cidoncha, E.; Anastasiou, M.; Bowden, N. S.; Bundgaard, J.; Casperson, R. J.; Cebra, D. A.; Classen, T.; Dongwi, D. H.; Fotiades, N.; Gearhart, J.; Geppert-Kleinrath, V.; Greife, U.; Hagmann, C.; Heffner, M.; Hensle, D.; Higgins, D.; Isenhower, L. D.; Kazkaz, K.; Kemnitz, A.; King, J.; Klay, J. L.; Latta, J.; Loveland, W.; Magee, J. A.; Manning, B.; Mendenhall, M. P.; Mosby, S.; Neudecker, D.; Sangiorgio, S.; Seilhan, B.; Snyder, L.; Tovesson, F.; Towell, R. S.; Walsh, N.; Watson, T. S.; Yao, L.; Younes, W.

doi:10.1016/j.nima.2021.165864

Title: Measurement of material isotopics and atom number ratio with α-particle spectroscopy for a NIFFTE fission Time Projection Chamber actinide target

Journal Article · 05 October 2021 · Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2021.165864 · OSTI ID:1829977

;

; Prokop, C.;

; Anastasiou, M.;

; Bundgaard, J.; Casperson, R. J.; Cebra, D. A.;

; Dongwi, D. H.; Fotiades, N.; Gearhart, J.;

; Greife, U.; Hagmann, C.; Heffner, M.;

;

; Isenhower, L. D. more »

In this work, we present the results of a measurement of isotopic concentrations and atomic number ratio of a double-sided actinide target using α-spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The double-sided actinide target, with predominantly ²³⁹Pu on one side and ²³⁵U on the other, was used in the fission Time Projection Chamber (fissionTPC) for a measurement of the neutron-induced fission cross-section ratio between the two isotopes. The measured atomic number ratio is needed to extract an absolute measurement fission cross-section ratio. The ²³⁹Pu/²³⁵U atom number ratio was measured with a combination of mass spectrometry and α-spectroscopy with a planar silicon detector achieving uncertainties of less than 1%. Different strategies for estimating isotopic concentration from the α-spectrum are presented to demonstrate the potential of these methods for non-destructive target assay. We found that a combination of fitting spectra with constraints from mass spectrometry, and summing counts in a region of the spectrum provided the most consistent results with the lowest uncertainty.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Contributing Organization:: NIFFTE Collaboration

Grant/Contract Number:: 89233218CNA000001; AC52-06NA25396; AC52-07NA27344; NA0002921; LLNL-JRNL-820554

OSTI ID:: 1829977

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1826520; OSTI ID: 1868723

Report Number(s):: LLNL-JRNL-820554; LA-UR-21-25295; 1031973; TRN: US2216430

Journal Information:: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 1021; ISSN 0168-9002

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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