Cross section determination of^(27)Al(n,2n)^(26)Al reaction induced by 14-MeV neutrons uniting with D-T neutron activation and AMS techniques

Aluminum is the primary structural material in nuclear engineering,and its cross section induced by 14-MeV neutrons is of great significance.To address the issue of insufficient accuracy for the^(27)Al(n,2n)^(26)Al reaction cross section,the activation method and accelerator mass spectrometry(AMS)technique were used to determine the^(27)Al(n,2n)^(26)Al cross section,which could be used as a D-T plasma ion temperature monitor in fusion reactors.At the China Academy of Engineering Physics,neutron activation was performed using a K-400 neutron generator produced by the T(d,n)4He reaction.The^(26)Al∕^(27)Al isotope ratios were measured using the newly installed GYIG 1 MV AMS at the Institute of Geochemistry,Chinese Academy of Sciences.The neutron flux was monitored by measuring the activity of 92mNb produced by the 93Nb(n,2n)92mNb reaction.The measured results were compared with available data in the experimental nuclear reaction database,and the measured values showed a reasonable degree of consistency with partially available literature data.The newly acquired cross-sectional data at 12 neutron energy points through systematic measurements clarified the divergence,which has two different growth trends from the existing experimental values.The obtained results are also compared with the corresponding evaluated database,and the newly calculated excitation functions with TALYS−1.95 and EMPIRE−3.2 codes,the agreement with CENDL−3.2,TENDL-2021 and EMPIRE−3.2 results are generally acceptable.A substantial improvement in the knowledge of the^(27)Al(n,2n)^(26)Al reaction excitation function was obtained in the present work,which will lay the foundation for the diagnosis of the fusion ion temperature,testing of the nuclear physics model,evaluation of nuclear data,etc.

Benchmark experiment on slab^(238)U with D-T neutrons for validation of evaluated nuclear data

A benchmark experiment on^(238)U slab samples was conducted using a deuterium-tritium neutron source at the China Institute of Atomic Energy.The leakage neutron spectra within energy levels of 0.8-16 MeV at 60°and 120°were measured using the time-of-flight method.The samples were prepared as rectangular slabs with a 30 cm square base and thicknesses of 3,6,and 9 cm.The leakage neutron spectra were also calculated using the MCNP-4C program based on the latest evaluated files of^(238)U evaluated neutron data from CENDL-3.2,ENDF/B-Ⅷ.0,JENDL-5.0,and JEFF-3.3.Based on the comparison,the deficiencies and improvements in^(238)U evaluated nuclear data were analyzed.The results showed the following.(1)The calculated results for CENDL-3.2 significantly overestimated the measurements in the energy interval of elastic scattering at 60°and 120°.(2)The calculated results of CENDL-3.2 overestimated the measurements in the energy interval of inelastic scattering at 120°.(3)The calculated results for CENDL-3.2 significantly overestimated the measurements in the 3-8.5 MeV energy interval at 60°and 120°.(4)The calculated results with JENDL-5.0 were generally consistent with the measurement results.

In-beam gamma rays of CSNS Back-n characterized by black resonance filter

The back-streaming white-neutron beamline(Back-n)of the China Spallation Neutron Source is an essential neutronresearch platform built for the study of nuclear data,neutron physics,and neutron applications.Many types of cross-sectional neutron-reaction measurements have been performed at Back-n since early 2018.These measurements have shown that a significant number of gamma rays can be transmitted to the experimental stations of Back-n along with the neutron beam.These gamma rays,commonly referred to as in-beam gamma rays,can induce a non-negligible experimental background in neutron-reaction measurements.Studying the characteristics of in-beam gamma rays is important for understanding the experimental background.However,measuring in-beam gamma rays is challenging because most gamma-ray detectors are sensitive to neutrons;thus,discriminating between neutron-induced signals and those from in-beam gamma rays is difficult.In this study,we propose the use of the black resonance filter method and a CeBr_(3) scintillation detector to measure the characteristics of the in-beam gamma rays of Back-n.Four types of black resonance filters,^(181)Ta,^(59)Co,^(nat)Ag,and^(nat)Cd,were used in this measurement.The time-of-flight(TOF)technique was used to select the detector signals remaining in the absorption region of the TOF spectra,which were mainly induced by in-beam gamma rays.The energy distribution and flux of the in-beam gamma rays of Back-n were determined by analyzing the deposited energy spectra of the CeBr_(3) scintillation detector and using Monte Carlo simulations.Based on the results of this study,the background contributions from in-beam gamma rays in neutron-reaction measurements at Back-n can be reasonably evaluated,which is beneficial for enhancing both the experimental methodology and data analysis.

Cross-section measurement of(n,2n) reactions for Nd isotopes induced by 14 MeV neutrons

Cross-sections of the(n,2n) reactions for neodymium(Nd) isotopes induced by 14 MeV neutrons were measured in this work by using the activation and relative methods. The measured cross-sections of the ^(150)Nd(n,2n)^(149)Nd,^(148)Nd(n,2n)^(147)Nd, and ^(142)Nd(n,2 n)^(141)Nd reactions were 1854 ± 81, 1789 ± 119, and 1559 ± 98 mb, respectively, at a neutron energy of 14.2 ± 0.2 MeV,and 1485 ± 74, 1726 ± 85, and 1670 ± 119 mb, respectively, at 14.9 ± 0.2 MeV. The results were compared with the experimental values from the reported literature, with the evaluated data from the ENDF/B-VII.1, CENDL-3.1, and JENDL-4.0 libraries, and with the curves calculated by the Talys-1.8 code.

Geant4 simulation of 238U(n,f) reaction induced by D-T neutron source

Knowledge of actinides(n,f) fission process induced by neutron is of importance in the field of nuclear power and nuclear engineering,especially for reactor applications.In this work,fission characteristics of^(238)U(n,f) reaction induced by D-T neutron source were simulated with Geant4 code from multiple perspectives,including the fission production yields,total nubar,kinetic energy distribution,fission neutron spectrum and cumulative γ-ray spectrum of the fission products.The simulation results agree well with the experimental nuclear reaction data(EXFOR) and evaluated nuclear data(ENDF).Mainly,this work was to examine the rationality of the parametric nuclear fission model in Geant4 and to direct our future experimental measurements for the cumulative fission yields of ^(238)U(n,f) reaction.

Effects of energy deposition on mechanical properties of sodium borosilicate glass irradiated by three heavy ions: P, Kr, and Xe

Sodium borosilicate glasses are candidate materials for high-level radioactive waste vitrification;therefore, understanding the irradiation effects in model borosilicate glass is crucial. Effects of electronic energy deposition and nuclear energy deposition induced by the impact of heavy ions on the hardness and Young’s modulus of sodium borosilicate glass were investigated. The work concentrates on sodium borosilicate glasses, henceforth termed NBS1 (60.0% SiO2, 15.0% B2O3, and 25.0% Na2O in mol%). The NBS1 glasses were irradiated by P, Kr, and Xe ions with 0.3 MeV, 4 MeV, and 5 MeV, respectively. The hardness and Young’s modulus of ion-irradiated NBS1 glasses were measured by nanoindentation tests. The relationships between the evolution of the hardness, the change in the Young’s modulus of the NBS1 glasses, and the energy deposition were investigated. With the increase in the nuclear energy deposition, both the hardness and Young’s modulus of NBS1 glasses dropped exponentially and then saturated. Regardless of the ion species, the nuclear energy depositions required for the saturation of hardness and Young’s modulus were apparent at approximately 1.2 × 10^20 keV/cm^3 and 1.8 × 10^20 keV/cm^3, respectively. The dose dependency of the hardness and Young’s modulus of NBS1 glasses was consistent with previous studies by Peuget et al. Moreover, the electronic energy loss is less than 4 keV/nm, and the electronic energy deposition is less than 3.0 × 10^22 keV/cm^3 in this work. Therefore, the evolution of hardness and Young’s modulus could have been primarily induced by nuclear energy deposition.

Thick Target Neutron Production on Aluminum and Copper by 40 MeV Deuterons

The thick target neutron yields （TTNYs） of deuteron-induced reaction on AI and Cu isotopes are analyzed by combining the improved nuclear models and particle transport effects. The modified Glauber model is employed mainly to produce the peak of double differential cross section for the breakup process, and the exciton model and the Hauser-Feshbach theory are used for the statistical processes. The thin-layer accumulation method is used to calculate the TTNYs considering the neutron attenuation effects in the target. The calculated results are compared with the existing experimental data, and the analysis method can predict the TTNY data well at the deuteron energy of 40 MeV.