Hornillos, M. B. G., Gorlychev, V., Caballero, R., Cortes, G., Poch, A., Pretel, C., et al. (2011). Monte Carlo Simulations for the Study of a Moderated Neutron Detector. J. Korean Phys. Soc., 59(2), 1573–1576.
Abstract: This work presents the Monte Carlo simulations performed with the MCNPX and GEANT4 codes for the design of a BEta deLayEd Neutron detector, BELEN-20. This detector will be used for the study of beta delayed neutron emission and consists of a block of polyethylene with dimensions 90 x 90 x 80 cm(3) and 20 cylindrical (3)He gas counters. The results of these simulations have been validated experimentally with a (252)Cf source in the laboratory at UPC, Barcelona. Also the first experiment with this detector has been carried out in November 2009 in JYFL, Finland. In this experiment the neutron emission probability after beta decay of the fission products (88)Br, (94,95)Rb, and (138)I has been measured; this data is still under analysis. Simulations with MCNPX and GEANT4 have been performed in order to obtain the efficiency of the BELEN-20 detector for each of the above nuclei using the neutron energy distribution corresponding to each nucleus.
|
n_TOF Collaboration(Chiaveri, E. et al), Giubrone, G., & Tain, J. L. (2011). Past, Present and Future of the n_TOF Facility at CERN. J. Korean Phys. Soc., 59(2), 1620–1623.
Abstract: The nTOF spallation neutron facility is operating at CERN since 2001. Neutrons are produced with a very wide energy range, from thermal up to 1 GeV and with a very high instantaneous flux (10(5)n/cm(2)/pulse at 200 m from target) thanks to the high intensity (7 x 10(12) protons/pulse) and low repetition rate of the Proton Synchrotron (PS) which is delivering protons to a lead spallation target. The experimental area is located at 200 m from the target, resulting in a very good energy resolution and beam quality thanks to the adoption of an optimal collimation system. At the end of 2008 the nTOF facility has resumed operation after a halt of 3 years due to technical issues. This contribution will outline the main physics results obtained by the facility since its inception in 1999, and show the importance of the measured nuclear data in the field of Nuclear Astrophysics and Nuclear Technology. Then it will present the future perspectives of the facility, aiming mainly in the direction of measuring highly radioactive samples, for which the facility has unique capabilities, with a lower background.
|
Pavon Valderrama, M. (2011). Perturbative renormalizability of chiral two-pion exchange in nucleon-nucleon scattering. Phys. Rev. C, 83(2), 024003–11pp.
Abstract: We study the perturbative renormalizability of chiral two-pion exchange for singlet and triplet channels within effective field theory, provided that the one-pion exchange piece of the interaction has been fully iterated. We determine the number of counterterms/subtractions needed to obtain finite results when the cutoff is removed, resulting in three counterterms for the singlet channel and six for the triplet. The results show that perturbative chiral two-pion exchange reproduce the data up to a center-of-mass momentum of k similar to 200-300 MeV in the singlet channel and k similar to 300-400 MeV in the triplet.
|
n_TOF Collaboration(Guerrero, C. et al), Giubrone, G., & Tain, J. L. (2011). Characterization of the New n_TOF Neutron Beam: Fluence, Profile and Resolution. J. Korean Phys. Soc., 59(2), 1624–1627.
Abstract: After a halt of four years, the nTOF spallation neutron facility at CERN has resumed operation in November 2008 with a new spallation target characterized by an improved safety and engineering design, resulting in a more robust overall performance and efficient cooling. The first measurement during the 2009 run has aimed at the full characterization of the neutron beam. Several detectors, such as calibrated fission chambers, the nTOF Silicon Monitor, a MicroMegas detector with (10)B and (235)U samples, as well as liquid and solid scintillators have been used in order to characterize the properties of the neutron fluence. The spatial profile of the beam has been studied with a specially designed “X-Y” MicroMegas which provided a 2D image of the beam as a function of neutron energy. Both properties have been compared with simulations performed. with the FLUKA code. The characterization of the resolution function is based on results from simulations which have been verified by the study of narrow capture resonances. of (56)Fe, which were measured as part of a new campaign of (n,gamma) measurements on Fe and Ni isotopes.
|
n_TOF Collaboration, Gunsing, F., Berthoumieux, E., Borella, A., Belgya, T., Szentmiklosi, L., et al. (2011). Neutron Capture on (209)Bi: Determination of the Production Ratio of (210m)Bi/(210g)Bi. J. Korean Phys. Soc., 59(2), 1670–1675.
Abstract: Neutron capture on (209)Bi produces either an isomeric state (210m)Bi with a half life of 3 x 106 years, or the ground state (210g)Bi which decays with a half life of 5 days to the alpha emitter (210)Po. Therefore the neutron capture cross section ratio (209)Bi(n,gamma)(210m)Bi/(210g)Bi plays an important role in predicting the short- and long-term radio-toxicity produced by (209)Bi under neutron irradiation. This ratio is dependent on the neutron energy. We have measured this ratio for cold neutrons at the cold neutron beam facility of the Budapest Neutron Centre by observing the population of the ground-and the metastable state using high resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy. The same technique has been used at the pulsed white neutron source GELINA of the IRMM, Geel in combination with the neutron time-of-flight technique. Results for the neutron-energy dependent branching ratio will be presented. In addition we performed simulations using a statistical decay code.
|
n_TOF Collaboration(Cano-Ott, D. et al), Domingo-Pardo, C., & Tain, J. L. (2011). Neutron Capture Measuremetns on Minor Actinides at the n_TOF Facility at CERN: Past, Present and Future. J. Korean Phys. Soc., 59(2), 1809–1812.
Abstract: The successful development of advanced nuclear systems for sustainable energy production and nuclear waste management depends on high quality nuclear data libraries. Recent sensitivity studies and reports [1-3] have identified the need for substantially improving the accuracy of neutron cross-section data for minor actinides. The n_TOF collaboration has initiated an ambitious experimental program for the measurement of neutron capture cross sections of minor actinides. Two experimental setups have been constructed for this purpose: a Total Absorption Calorimeter (TAC) [4] for measuring neutron capture cross-sections of low-mass and/or radioactive samples and a set of two low neutron sensitivity C(6)D(6) detectors for the less radioactive materials.
|
Corradi, L., Szilner, S., Pollarolo, G., Colo, G., Mason, P., Farnea, E., et al. (2011). Single and pair neutron transfers at sub-barrier energies. Phys. Rev. C, 84(3), 034603–10pp.
Abstract: Multinucleon transfer cross sections in the (96)Zr+(40)Ca system have been measured, in inverse kinematics, at bombarding energies ranging from the Coulomb barrier to similar to 25% below. Targetlike recoils have been identified in A, Z and velocity with the large solid angle magnetic spectrometer PRISMA. The experimental data for one- and two-neutron transfer channels have been compared with semiclassical microscopic calculations. For the two-neutron transfer channels the relevance of the transitions to the ground state and to the 0(+) excited states of (42)Ca are discussed by employing, for the reaction mechanism, the successive approximation. It is found that the transition to the 0(+) state at similar to 6 MeV, whose wave function is dominated by the two neutrons in the 2p(3/2) shell, is much larger than the ground state one. The comparison with the inclusive data reveals that transitions to states with high multipolarity and non-natural parity are important. This suggests that more complex two-particle correlations have to be incorporated in the treatment of the transfer process.
|
n_TOF Collaboration(Mendoza, E. et al), Giubrone, G., & Tain, J. L. (2011). Improved Neutron Capture Cross Section Measurements with the n_TOF Total Absorption Calorimeter. J. Korean Phys. Soc., 59(2), 1813–1816.
Abstract: The n_TOF collaboration operates a Total Absorption Calorimeter (TAC) [1] for measuring neutron capture cross-sections of low-mass and/or radioactive samples. The results obtained with the TAC have led to a substantial improvement of the capture cross sections of (237)Np and (240)Pu [2]. The experience acquired during the first measurements has allowed us to optimize the performance of the TAC and to improve the capture signal to background ratio, thus opening the way to more complex and demanding measurements on rare radioactive materials. The new design has been reached by a series of detailed Monte Carlo simulations of complete experiments and dedicated test measurements. The new capture setup will be presented and the main achievements highlighted.
|
n_TOF Collaboration(Tarrio, D. et al), Domingo-Pardo, C., Plag, R., Plompen, A., & Tain, J. L. (2011). High-energy Neutron-induced Fission Cross Sections of Natural Lead and Bismuth-209. J. Korean Phys. Soc., 59(2), 1904–1907.
Abstract: The CERN Neutron Time-Of-Flight (n_TOF) facility is well suited to measure small neutron-induced fission cross sections, as those of subactinides. The cross section ratios of (nat)Pb and (209)Bi relative to (235)U and (238)U were measured using PPAC detectors. The fragment coincidence method allows to unambiguously identify the fission events. The present experiment provides the first results for neutron-induced fission up to 1 GeV for (nat)Pb and (209)Bi. A good agreement with previous experimental data below 200 MeV is shown. The comparison with proton-induced fission indicates that the limiting regime where neutron-induced and proton-induced fission reach equal cross section is close to 1 GeV.
|
Estevez, E. et al, Algora, A., Rubio, B., Bernabeu, J., Nacher, E., Tain, J. L., et al. (2011). beta-decay study of (150)Er, (152)Yb, and (156)Yb: Candidates for a monoenergetic neutrino beam facility. Phys. Rev. C, 84(3), 034304–6pp.
Abstract: The beta decays of (150)Er, (152)Yb, and (156)Yb nuclei are investigated using the total absorption spectroscopy technique. These nuclei can be considered possible candidates for forming the beam of a monoenergetic neutrino beam facility based on the electron capture (EC) decay of radioactive nuclei. Our measurements confirm that for the cases studied the EC decay proceeds mainly to a single state in the daughter nucleus.
|
