U. Tippawan

Nucleon-induced reactions at intermediate energies: New data at 96 MeV and theoretical status

Double-differential cross sections for light charged particle production (up to A=4) were measured in 96 MeV neutron-induced reactions, at the TSL Laboratory Cyclotron in Uppsala (Sweden). Measurements for three targets, Fe, Pb, and U, were performed using two independent devices, SCANDAL and MEDLEY. The data were recorded with low-energy thresholds and for a wide angular range (20 deg. -160 deg. ). The normalization procedure used to extract the cross sections is based on the np elastic scattering reaction that we measured and for which we present experimental results. A good control of the systematic uncertainties affecting the results is achieved. Calculations using the exciton model are reported. Two different theoretical approaches proposed to improve its predictive power regarding the complex particle emission are tested. The capabilities of each approach is illustrated by comparison with the 96 MeV data that we measured, and with other experimental results available in the literature.

Light‐Ion Production in the Interaction of 96 MeV Neutrons with Silicon

Double-differential cross sections for light-ion (p, d, t, He and α) production in oxygen, induced by 96 MeV neutrons are reported. Energy spectra are measured at eight laboratory angles from 20◦ to 160◦ in steps of 20◦. Procedures for data taking and data reduction are presented. Deduced energydifferential and production cross sections are reported. Experimental cross ∗Corresponding author, Tel. +46 18 471 6850, Fax. +46 18 471 3853, E-mail: stephan.pomp@tsl.uu.se

The New Uppsala Neutron Beam Facility

A new quasi‐monoenergetic neutron beam facility has been constructed at the The Svedberg Laboratory (TSL) in Uppsala, Sweden. Key features include an energy range of 20 to 175 MeV, high fluxes, and the possibility of large‐area fields. Besides cross‐section measurements, the new facility has been designed specifically to provide optimal conditions for testing of single‐event effects in electronics and for dosimetry development. First results of the beam characterization measurements performed in early 2004 are reported.

Worldwide measurements of radioxenon background near isotope production facilities, a nuclear power plant and at remote sites: the “EU/JA-II” Project

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) specifies that radioxenon measurements should be performed at 40 or more stations worldwide within the International Monitoring System (IMS). Measuring radioxenon is one of the principle techniques to detect underground nuclear explosions. Specifically, presence and ratios of different radioxenon isotopes allows determining whether a detection event under consideration originated from a nuclear explosion or a civilian source. However, radioxenon monitoring on a global scale is a novel technology and the global civil background must be characterized sufficiently. This paper lays out a study, based on several unique measurement campaigns, of the worldwide concentrations and sources of verification relevant xenon isotopes. It complements the experience already gathered with radioxenon measurements within the CTBT IMS programme and focuses on locations in Belgium, Germany, Kuwait, Thailand and South Africa where very little information was available on ambient xenon levels or interesting sites offered opportunities to learn more about emissions from known sources. The findings corroborate the hypothesis that a few major radioxenon sources contribute in great part to the global radioxenon background. Additionally, the existence of independent sources of 131mXe (the daughter of 131I) has been demonstrated, which has some potential to bias the isotopic signature of signals from nuclear explosions.

Development of an encapsulated scintillating fiber detector as a 14-MeV neutron sensor☆

Abstract A scintillating fiber detector has been developed and tested for use as a 14-MeV neutron sensor. The detector, designated an “Encapsulated Scintillating Fiber Detector (EFD)”, is composed of a parallel array of 0.5 × 0.5 × 15 mm BCF-12 plastic scintillating fibers encapsulated in clear BC-600 optical cement. The 85 fibers from a 12 × 12 mm square array, with a separation gap of 0.8–1 mm, in the center of the 40 mm diameter × 15 mm thick hardened optical cement. It can be directly coupled to an ordinary 2 in. diameter photomultiplier tube and its simple electronics. The response of the detector to gamma-rays from isotopic sources, as well as to 2.6- and 14-MeV monoenergetic neutrons from a neutron generator has been evaluated. The detector shows 3 distinct properties simultaneously, i.e. (1) good gamma-ray pulse height reduction, (2) discrimination against 14-MeV neutrons entering at angles non-parallel to the fiber axis, and (3) production of a full energy peak of 14-MeV recoil protons in the direction of the fiber axes. Investigations by Monte Carlo simulation are also included.

An iterative procedure to obtain inverse response functions for thick-target correction of measured charged-particle spectra

A new method for correcting charged-particle spectra for thick-target effects is described. Starting with a trial function, inverse response functions are found by an iterative procedure. The variances corresponding to the measured spectrum are treated similarly and in parallel. Oscillations of the solution are avoided by rebinning the data to finer bins during a correction iteration and back to the original or wider binning after each iteration. This thick-target correction method has been used for data obtained with the MEDLEY facility at the The Svedberg Laboratory, Uppsala, Sweden, and is here presented in detail and demonstrated for two test cases.

Elastic neutron scattering at 96 MeV from {sup 12}C and {sup 208}Pb

A facility for detection of scattered neutrons in the energy interval 50-130 MeV, SCANDAL, has recently been installed at the 20-180 MeV neutron beam line of the The Svedberg Laboratory, Uppsala. Elastic neutron scattering from {sup 12}C and {sup 208}Pb has been studied at 96 MeV in the 10 deg. -70 deg. interval. The achieved energy resolution, 3.7 MeV, is about an order of magnitude better than for any previous experiment above 65 MeV incident energy. The present experiment represents the highest neutron energy where the ground state has been resolved from the first excited state in neutron scattering. A novel method for normalization of the absolute scale of the cross section has been used. The estimated normalization uncertainty, 3%, is unprecedented for a neutron-induced differential cross section measurement on a nuclear target. The results are compared with modern optical model predictions based on phenomenology or microscopic nuclear theory.

A new facility for high-energy neutron-induced fission studies

A new facility is constructed for measurements of neutron‐induced fission cross sections in the 20–180 MeV energy region versus the np scattering cross section, which is adopted as the primary neutron standard. The advantage of the experiment compared to earlier studies is that the fission‐fragment detection and the neutron‐flux measurement via np scattering are performed simultaneously and at the same position in the beam, and, therefore, many sources of systematic errors cancel out. Further reduction of systematic errors is achieved due to “embedded” determination of effective solid angle of particle detectors using α‐particles from the radioactive decay of the target nuclei. The performance of the facility is illustrated by first data obtained for angular distributions of fission fragments in the 238U(n,f) reaction.

A New Neutron Beam Facility for SEE Testing

A new quasi-monoenergetic neutron beam facility has been constructed at The Svedberg Laboratory in Uppsala, Sweden. The new facility has been designed specifically to provide optimal conditions for testing of single-event effects in electronics. Key features include a neutron energy range of 20 to 175 MeV, high fluxes, user flux control, flexible neutron field size and shape, and spacious and easily accessible user area. Results of beam characterization measurements are reported.

Measurement of the absolute n p scattering differential cross section at 194 MeV

We describe a double-scattering experiment with a novel tagged neutron beam to measure differential cross sections for np backscattering to better than +/-2% absolute precision. The measurement focuses on angles and energies where the cross section magnitude and angle dependence constrain the charged pion-nucleon coupling constant, but existing data show serious discrepancies among themselves and with energy-dependent partial-wave analyses. The present results are in good accord with the partial-wave analyses, but deviate systematically from other recent measurements.