EPJ Web of Conferences (Jan 2017)

Inspection of 56Fe γ-Ray angular distributions as a function of incident neutron energy using optical model approaches

  • Vanhoy J.R.,
  • Ramirez A.P.,
  • Alcorn-Dominguez D.K.,
  • Hicks S.F.,
  • Peters E.E.,
  • McEllistrem M.T.,
  • Mukhopadhyay S.,
  • Yates S.W.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201714611051
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 146
p. 11051

Abstract

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Neutron inelastic scattering cross sections measured directly through (n,n) or deduced from γ-ray production cross sections following inelastic neutron scattering (n,n′γ) are a focus of basic and applied research at the University of Kentucky Accelerator Laboratory (www.pa.uky.edu/accelerator). For nuclear data applications, angle-integrated cross sections are desired over a wide range of fast neutron energies. Several days of experimental beam time are required for a data set at each incident neutron energy, which limits the number of angular distributions that can be measured in a reasonable amount of time. Approximations can be employed to generate cross sections with a higher energy resolution, since at 125o, the a2P2 term of the Legendre expansion is identically zero and the a4P4 is assumed to be very small. Provided this assumption is true, a single measurement at 125o would produce the γ-ray production cross section. This project tests these assumptions and energy dependences using the codes CINDY/SCAT and TALYS/ECIS06/SCAT. It is found that care must be taken when interpreting γ-ray excitation functions as cross sections when the incident neutron energy is < 1000 keV above threshold or before the onset of feeding.