Cross-section measurements of (n, 2n) and (n, p) reactions on ^{124,126,128,130,131,132}Xe in the 14 MeV region and theoretical calculations of their excitation functions *

Abstract

The reaction cross-sections of 124Xe(n, 2n)123Xe, 126Xe(n, 2n)125Xe, 128Xe(n, 2n)127Xe, 130Xe(n, 2n)129mXe, 132Xe(n, 2n)131mXe, 130Xe(n, p)130I, 131Xe(n, p)131I, and 132Xe(n, p)132I were measured at the 13.5, 13.8, 14.1, 14.4, and 14.8 MeV neutron energies. The monoenergetic neutrons were generated through the 3H(d,n)4He reaction at the China Academy of Engineering Physics using the K-400 Neutron Generator with a solid 3H-Ti target. A high-purity germanium detector was used to measure the activities of the product. The reactions 93Nb(n, 2n)92mNb and 27Al(n, α)24Na served for neutron flux calibration. The cross sections of the (n,2n) and (n,p) reactions of the xenon isotopes were acquired within the 13–15 MeV neutron energy range. These cross-sections were then compared with the IAEA-exchange format (EXFOR) database-derived experimental data together with the evaluation results of the CENDL-3, ENDF/B-VIII.0, JENDL-4.0, RUSFOND, and JEFF-3.3 data libraries as well as the theoretical excitation function obtained using the TALYS-1.95 code. The cross-sections of the reactions (except for the 124Xe(n, 2n)123Xe and 132Xe(n, p)132I) at 13.5, 13.8, and 14.1 MeV are reported for the first time in this work. The present results are helpful to provide better cross-section constraints for these reactions in the 13–15 MeV region, thus improving the quality of the corresponding database. Meanwhile, these data can also be used for the verification of relevant nuclear reaction model parameters.

First measurement of the (n,n′) reactions cross section in the 14 MeV regions using highly enriched 129,131Xe isotopes

“…Neutron irradiation of the samples was carried out for 2 h using a neutron generator (K-400 from CAEP) with a neutron yield within the range of (4 ∼ 5) × 10 10 neutrons per second (n/s) [8]. The 14 MeV neutrons were generated through the 3 H(d,n) 4 He reaction, employing a beam current of 220 μA and deuteron beam energy of 135 keV [9]. This system utilizes a new tritium-titanium target with a thickness of 2-3 mg cm -2 .…”

“…A detailed description of the above equation has been previously reported [9,31]. Moreover, K is the neutron fluence fluctuation factor, expressed as…”

“…Second, the decay diagrams of the daughter nuclei, 129m Xe and 131m Xe, generated by the nuclear reactions 129 Xe(n,n′) 129m Xe and 131 Xe(n,n′) 131m Xe, are remarkably simple, and their characteristic gamma rays remain unaffected by external factors, such as the coincidence sums (see figures 1 and 2) [6,7]. Third, in contrast to the natural abundance of xenon gas as the target material, the use of highly enriched isotopes ( 129 Xe and 131 Xe) as the targets can effectively prevent nuclear reactions 129 Xe(n,n′) 129m Xe and 131 Xe(n,n′) 131m Xe from being influenced by the nuclear reactions 130 Xe(n,2n) 129m Xe and 132 Xe(n,2n) 131m Xe [8,9]. Fourth, nuclear fusion has emerged as an economically viable and reliable energy source, drawing significant attention in recent years due to the scarcity of safe energy sources.…”

New cross-section measurements for the (n, 2n), (n, p), and (n, α) reactions on bromine in the 14 MeV region with detailed uncertainty quantification*

“…The detection efficiency of the HPGe detector was obtained using the 25 gamma lines of the standard sources 133 Ba, 137 Cs, 152 Eu, and 226 Ra. Our previously published study [40] contains additional information.…”