N. Patronis

Use of HPGe γ-ray spectrometry to assess the isotopic compositiion of uranium in soils

Gamma-ray spectrometry was used to determine uranium activity and investigate the presence of depleted uranium in soil samples collected from camping sites of the Greek expeditionary force in Kosovo. Assessment of 238 U concentrations was based on measurements of the 63.3 keV and 92.38 keV emissions of its first daughter nuclide, 234 Th. To determine the isotopic ratio of 238 U/ 235 U, secular equilibrium along the two radioactive series was first ensured and thereby the contribution of 235 U under the 186 keV peak was deduced. The uranium activity in the samples varied from 48 to 112 Bq kg 1 , whereas the activity ratio of 238 U/ 235 U aver

The elastic scattering of 6Li+28Si at near-barrier energies

The 6 Li + 28 Si elastic scattering was studied at near-barrier energies with the aim to probe the threshold anomaly. Angular distributions were measured over a wide angular range (θlab = 25 ◦ to 150 ◦ ) at 4 energies, namely, 7.5, 9, 11 and 13 MeV. The present data together with previous ones at higher energies, as well as elastic scattering data of 6 Li on various targets at near barrier energies, were analyzed by using optical potentials obtained in a double-folding framework. It was found that the strength of the real part of the potential remains almost independent of energy down to, and possible even below, barrier, while the strength of the imaginary part presents an increase at near barrier energies. The results are discussed. uf6d9 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Stellar (n, gamma) Cross Section of ^6^2Ni

The 62Ni(n,gamma)63Ni(t(1/2)=100+/-2 yr) reaction plays an important role in the control of the flow path of the slow neutron-capture (s) nucleosynthesis process. We have measured for the first time the total cross section of this reaction for a quasi-Maxwellian (kT=25 keV) neutron flux. The measurement was performed by fast-neutron activation, combined with accelerator mass spectrometry to detect directly the 63Ni product nuclei. The experimental value of 28.4+/-2.8 mb, fairly consistent with a recent calculation, affects the calculated net yield of 62Ni itself and the whole distribution of nuclei with 62

The C 14 ( n , γ ) cross section between 10 keV and 1 MeV

The neutron capture cross section of 14C is of relevance for several nucleosynthesis scenarios such as inhomogeneous Big Bang models, neutron induced CNO cycles, and neutrino driven wind models for the r process. The 14C(n,gamma) reaction is also important for the validation of the Coulomb dissociation method, where the (n,gamma) cross section can be indirectly obtained via the time-reversed process. So far, the example of 14C is the only case with neutrons where both, direct measurement and indirect Coulomb dissociation, have been applied. Unfortunately, the interpretation is obscured by discrepancies between several experiments and theory. Therefore, we report on new direct measurements of the 14C(n,gamma) reaction with neutron energies ranging from 20 to 800 keV.

Neutron cross-section measurements in the Th–U cycle by the activation method

The 232 Th(n,2n) 231 Th reaction cross-section was measured relative to the 56 Fe(n,p) 56 Mn and 27 Al(n,a) 24 Na reaction cross-sections with the activation method for neutron energies up to 11 MeV. Neutrons were produced by the 2 H(d,n) reaction in the 5.5 MV Tandem accelerator of the NCSR ‘‘Demokritos’’. The characteristic g lines of the product nuclei 231 Th (25.646 keV) and 56 Mn (846.771 keV) or 24 Na (1368 keV) were measured with an 80 mm 2 Si(Li) and a 20% reverseelectrode coaxial germanium detector, respectively. The results indicate that our values are in agreement with the JEF2 and BROND2 database values up to 9 MeV and slightly higher than those from all the libraries for higher energies. r 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Shell Gap Reduction In Exotic N = 17 Nuclei

27Ne has been investigated through the one neutron transfer reaction 26Ne(d,p)27Ne in inverse kinematics at 9.7 MeV/nucleon. The results support the existence of a low lying negative parity state in 27Ne which is a signature of a reduced sd‐fp shell gap in the N=16 neutron rich region, at variance with stable nuclei.

Stellar(n,γ)Cross Section ofNi62

The 62Ni(n,gamma)63Ni(t(1/2)=100+/-2 yr) reaction plays an important role in the control of the flow path of the slow neutron-capture (s) nucleosynthesis process. We have measured for the first time the total cross section of this reaction for a quasi-Maxwellian (kT=25 keV) neutron flux. The measurement was performed by fast-neutron activation, combined with accelerator mass spectrometry to detect directly the 63Ni product nuclei. The experimental value of 28.4+/-2.8 mb, fairly consistent with a recent calculation, affects the calculated net yield of 62Ni itself and the whole distribution of nuclei with 62