ELASTIC NEUTRON SCATTERING STUDIES AT 96 MeV FOR TRANSMUTATION

Abstract

Elastic neutron scattering from 12 C, 14 N, 16 O, 28 Si, 40 Ca, 56 Fe, 89 Y and 208 Pb has been studied at 96 MeV in the 10 − 70 degree interval, using the SCANDAL (SCAttered Nucleon Detection AssembLy) facility. The results for 12 C and 208 Pb have recently been published, while the data on the other nuclei are under analysis. The achieved energy resolution, 3.7 MeV, is about an order of magnitude better than for any previous experiment above 65 MeV incident energy. 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. Elastic neutron scattering is of utmost importance for a vast number of applications. Besides its fundamental importance as a laboratory for tests of isospin dependence in the nucleon-nucleon, and nucleon-nucleus, interaction, knowledge of the optical potentials derived from elastic scattering come into play in virtually every application where a detailed understanding of nuclear processes are important. Applications for these measurements are nuclear waste incineration, single event upsets in electronics and fast neutron therapy. The results at light nuclei of medical relevance ( 12 C, 14 N and 16 O,) are presented separately. In the present contribution, results on the heavier nuclei are presented, among which several are of profound relevance to accelerator-driven systems for transmutation.

Fast Neutron Scattering on Carbon and Oxygen

“…There are a number of new applications under development where neutrons of higher energies than in the traditional applications (nuclear power and nuclear weapons) play a significant role. The most important are transmutation of nuclear waste [1,2], medical treatment of tumors with fast neutrons [3], and the mitigation of single-event effects in electronics [4]. Cross-section data for neutron-induced nuclear reactions are needed in the intermediate energy region to improve data evaluations and nuclear models which are to be implemented in Monte-Carlo codes in relation to these applications.…”