K. Hirose

Neutron-capture cross-sections of 244Cm and 246Cm measured with an array of large germanium detectors in the ANNRI at J-PARC/MLF

The neutron neutron-capture cross cross-sections of 244Cm and 246Cm were measured by the time-of-flight method in the energy range of 1–300 300 eV with an array of large germanium detectors in the Accurate Neutron-Nucleus Reaction measurement InstrumentANNRI at Material and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF) of the Japan Proton Accelerator Research ComplexJ-PARC/MLF. The 244Cm resonances at around 7.7 and 16.8 8 eV and the 246Cm resonances at around 4.3 and 15.3 3 eV were observed in the capture reactions for the first time. The uncertainties of the obtained cross cross-sections are 5.8% at the top of the first resonance of 244Cm and 6.6% at that of 246Cm. The rResonance analyses were performed for low-energy ones using the code SAMMY. The prompt γ-ray spectra of 244Cm and 246Cm were also obtained. Eight and five new prompt γ-ray emissions were observed in the 244Cm(n, γ) and 246Cm(n, γ) reactions, respectively.

Cross-section measurement of 237Np (n, 𝛄) from 10 meV to 1 keV at Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex

The cross-section of the 237Np reaction has been measured in the energy range from 10 meV to 1 keV using the ANNRI-NaI(Tl) spectrometer at the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). The cross-section was obtained relative to that of the 10B reaction. The absolute value of the cross-section was deduced by normalizing the relative cross-section to the evaluated value of JENDL-4.0 at the first resonance. The thermal cross-section was obtained to be ( ) b. The Maxwellian-averaged cross-section for meV was derived as ( ) b by referring the cross-section below 10 meV from JENDL-4.0. These results lead to the Westcotts g-factor of .

Neutral Kaon Photo‐Production in the Threshold Energy Region

We have been conducting an experimental program to study strangeness photoproduc‐tions on the deuteron by measuring K0 and Λ in the threshold energy region. The π−π+ from K0 and π−p from Λ are detected by use of large acceptance magnetic spectrometers. At the first stage of the program, we started with Neutral Kaon Spectrometer (NKS), which consisted of timing counters and tracking devices in the magnetic field. The NKS spectrometer was employed to measure K0 photoproductions from deuteron and carbon target for the first time. A newly constructed spectrometer (NKS2) has been employed for the second stage experiment. It consists of a 110 ton dipole magnet and a combination of detectors. The momentum distributions of K0 and A from γ+d process were observed, and compared with the calculations based on the isobar models. The NKS2 spectrometer has been upgraded by installing a three dimensional tracking device in the central region. This improvement enables to explore the simultaneous measurement of the K0‐A w...

Energy calibration of tagged photons by the d(γ,π−pp) reaction

The energy of tagged photons, which were provided from the internal photon tagging system of the Laboratory of Nuclear Science, Tohoku University, has been calibrated using the d(γ,π−pp) reaction. Charged pions and protons in the final state were detected with the Neutral Kaon Spectrometer (NKS2). Photon energies were obtained from the reaction of d(γ,π−pp). The derived photon energy was consistent with the design of the tagger system and the previous measurement using electron-positron pair production. The consistency demonstrates the performance of NKS2 and the capability of the photon energy calibration using d(γ,π−pp).

The 95Zr(n, γ)96Zr Cross Section from the Surrogate Ratio Method and Its Effect on s-process Nucleosynthesis

The 95Zr(n,gamma)96Zr reaction cross section is crucial in the modelling of s-process nucleosynthesis in asymptotic giant branch stars because it controls the operation of the branching point at the unstable 95Zr and the subsequent production of 96Zr. We have carried out the measurement of the 94Zr(18O,16O) and 90Zr(18O,16O) reactions and obtained the gamma-decay probability ratio of 96Zr* and 92Zr* to determine the 95Zr(n,gamma)96Zr reaction cross sections with the surrogate ratio method. Our deduced maxwellian-averaged cross section of 66+-16 mb at 30 keV is close to the value recommended by Bao et al. (2000), but 30% and more than a factor of two larger than the values proposed by Toukan & Kappeler (1990) and Lugaro et al. (2014), respectively, and routinely used in s-process models. We tested the new rate in stellar models with masses between 2 and 6 Msun and metallicities 0.014 and 0.03. The largest changes - up 80% variations in 96Zr - are seen in models of mass 3-4 Msun, where the 22Ne neutron source is mildly activated. The new rate can still provide a match to data from meteoritic stardust silicon carbide grains, provided the maximum mass of the parent stars is below 4 Msun, for a metallicity of 0.03.

NEUTRAL KAON PHOTOPRODUCTION AT LNS, TOHOKU UNIVERSITY

The elementary photo-strangeness production process has been intensively studied based on the high-quality data of the charged kaon channel, γ + p → K+ + Λ(Σ0). However, there had been no reliable data for the neutral kaon channel γ + n → K0 + Λ(Σ0) and the theoretical investigations suffer seriously from the lack of the data. In order to have reliable data for the neutral kaon photo-production data, substantial effort has been made to measure the γ + n → K0 + Λ process in the π+π- decay channel, using a liquid deuterium target and a tagged photon beam (Eγ = 0.8-1.1 GeV) in the threshold region at the Laboratory of Nuclear Science (LNS), Tohoku University. We have taken exploratory data quite successfully with the use of Neutral Kaon Spectrometer (NKS) at LNS-Tohoku in 2003 and 2004. The data is compared to theoretical models and it indicates a hint that the K0 differential cross section has a backward peak in the energy region. The second generation of the experiment, NKS2, is designed to extend the NKS experiment by considerably upgrading the original neutral kaon spectrometer, fully replacing the spectrometer magnet, tracking detectors and all the trigger counters. The new spectrometer NKS2 has significantly larger acceptance for neutral kaons compared with NKS, particularly covering forward angles and much better invariant mass resolution. The estimated acceptance of NKS2 is three (ten) times larger for than that of NKS. The spectrometer is newly constructed and installed at the Laboratory of Nuclear Science, Tohoku University in 2005. The deuterium target data was taken with tagged photon beam in 2006-2007. We will report recent results of NKS2 in this paper. Additionally, a status of the upgrade project that gives us larger acceptance and capability of K0 + Λ coincidence measurement will be presented.

Neutral Kaon Spectrometer 2

Abstract A large-acceptance spectrometer, Neutral Kaon Spectrometer 2 (NKS2), was newly constructed to explore various photoproduction reactions in the gigaelectronvolt region at the Laboratory of Nuclear Science (LNS, currently ELPH), Tohoku University. The spectrometer consisted of a dipole magnet, drift chambers, and plastic scintillation counters. NKS2 was designed to separate pions and protons in a momentum range of less than 1 GeV/ c , and was placed in a tagged photon beamline. A cryogenic H 2 /D 2 target fitted to the spectrometer were designed. The design and performance of the detectors are described. The results of the NKS2 experiment on analyzing strangeness photoproduction data using a 0.8–1.1 GeV tagged photon beam are also presented.

Precise Measurements of Neutron Capture Cross Sections for LLFPs and MAs

To evaluate the feasibility of development of nuclear transmutation technology and an advanced nuclear system, precise nuclear data of neutron capture cross sections for long-lived fission products (LLFPs) and minor actinides (MAs) are indispensable. In this chapter, we present our research activities for the measurements of neutron capture cross sections for LLFPs and MAs.

Study of Double Delta Photoproduction on the Deuteron in the Energy Region of Eγ = 0.65–1.1 GeV

We studied the reaction d(γ, π+π−p)n with the Neutral Kaon Spectrometer 2 (NKS2) in a photon energy region of Eγ = 0.65-1.1 GeV at Research Center for Electron Photon Science (ELPH), Tohoku University. In this reaction, existence of the process where two nucleons are excited to Delta particles in the intermediate state was found. It is suggested that the nuclear effects cannot be ignored. By exploring the double Delta photoproduction, we investigated the double pion photoproduction on the deuteron, and the N∗-N interaction which contributes to the intermediate state of this reaction. The cross section of double Delta photoproduction was measured by the TAGX[1] and the NKS[2] in the photon energy region of Eγ = 0.57-0.85 GeV and 0.8-1.1 GeV, respectively. The reported cross sections are not consisted at 0.8 GeV. The theoretical calculation[3] does not reproduce the data above 0.8 GeV. We aim to precise measure the double Delta photoproduction in the photon energy region of Eγ = 0.65-1.1 GeV. Charged particles were detected using the NKS2 which has the large acceptance. The mass of the charged particles was calculated from measurements of the β and their respective momentum, allowing for the identification of π, π− and proton events. The d(γ, π+π−p)n events were extracted with a kinematical cut on the missing momentum. Double Delta excitation in the intermediate state was shown using the invariant mass distributions for πp and π−n. In this presentation, I will report on the invariant mass distributions for πN and the cross section of the double Delta photoproduction.

Measurement of Charged Pion Photoproduction at ELPH

We investigated the charged pion photoproduction on the deuteron in the energy region Eγ = 0.65− 1.1 GeV at Research Center for Electron Photon Science (ELPH), Tohoku University. The photon absorption by a nucleus mainly takes place on a single nucleon at energies above the first resonance region. The rest nucleons are called as the spectator and this process is called as the quasi-free process. The pion is emitted in the subsequent de-excitation process of the nucleon resonance excited through the absorption of the photon. The deuteron is the loosely bound system of the proton and the neutron and the photoreaction on it is considered to be dominated by the quasi-free process. However, significant contribution of the two nucleon absorption process in the π+π− photoproduction on the deuteron was measured in the energy region from 0.6 to 1.1 GeV[1, 2]. The importance of the nucleon resonances and the intermediate and final state interaction was suggested by the theoretical studies[3, 4]. For the detailed study of the intermediate states, precise experimental data, not only the total cross section but also the differential cross sections are required. The ABC effect [5] is a nuclear fusion reaction which is known to be related to the excitation of the two nucleon resonances (ΔΔ) in the intermediate state and their interaction. It is distinguished by a structure in the mass distribution of isoscalar pion pair[6, 7, 8]. One of our aim is the search for the ABC like effect in the photon induced double pion production reaction on the deuteron in the analysis of the similar final state with ABC effect (γd → π+π−d) and the explicit ΔΔ excitation (γd → ΔΔ → π+π−pn). The reactions d(γ, π+π−d) and d(γ, π+π−p)n were measured using the Neutral Kaon Spectrometer 2 (NKS2) at ELPH. The NKS2 is the magnetic spectrometer with the geometrical acceptance roughly 1/4 of the whole solid angle, dedicated for the multi-particle tracking. By refining the calibration of the detectors and the tracking procedures, the increased mass reconstruction resolution enabled us the efficient identification of these reactions with three charged particles in the final state. Simulation studies have been carried out for the extraction of the contributions of the intermediate states. We report on the current status of the analysis for the derivation of the cross sections of these reactions with the extraction of the intermediate states.