Babiano-Suarez, V. et al, Lerendegui-Marco, J., Balibrea-Correa, J., Caballero, L., Calvo, D., Ladarescu, I., et al. (2021). Imaging neutron capture cross sections: i-TED proof-of-concept and future prospects based on Machine-Learning techniques. Eur. Phys. J. A, 57(6), 197–17pp.
Abstract: i-TED is an innovative detection system which exploits Compton imaging techniques to achieve a superior signal-to-background ratio in (n, gamma) cross-section measurements using time-of-flight technique. This work presents the first experimental validation of the i-TED apparatus for high-resolution time-of-flight experiments and demonstrates for the first time the concept proposed for background rejection. To this aim, the Au-197(n, gamma) and Fe-56(n, gamma) reactions were studied at CERN n_TOF using an i-TED demonstrator based on three position-sensitive detectors. Two C6D6 detectors were also used to benchmark the performance of i-TED. The i-TED prototype built for this study shows a factor of similar to 3 higher detection sensitivity than state-of-the-art C6D6 detectors in the 10 keV neutron-energy region of astrophysical interest. This paper explores also the perspectives of further enhancement in performance attainable with the final i-TED array consisting of twenty position-sensitive detectors and newanalysis methodologies based on Machine-Learning techniques.
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Cui, Z. F., Ding, M., Morgado, J. M., Raya, K., Binosi, D., Chang, L., et al. (2022). Concerning pion parton distributions. Eur. Phys. J. A, 58(1), 10–14pp.
Abstract: Analyses of the pion valence-quark distribution function (DF), u(pi) (x; sigma), which explicitly incorporate the behaviour of the pion wave function prescribed by quantum chromodynamics (QCD), predict u(pi) (x similar or equal to 1; sigma) similar to (1 – x)(beta(sigma)), beta(sigma greater than or similar to m(p)) > 2, where mp is the proton mass. Nevertheless, more than forty years after the first experiment to collect data suitable for extracting the x similar or equal to 1 behaviour of up, the empirical status remains uncertain because some methods used to fit existing data return a result for up that violates this constraint. Such disagreement entails one of the following conclusions: the analysis concerned is incomplete; not all data being considered are a true expression of qualities intrinsic to the pion; or QCD, as it is currently understood, is not the theory of strong interactions. New, precise data are necessary before a final conclusion is possible. In developing these positions, we exploit a single proposition, viz. there is an effective charge which defines an evolution scheme for parton DFs that is all-orders exact. This proposition has numerous corollaries, which can be used to test the character of any DF, whether fitted or calculated.
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Bertoldo, S., Maggioni, G., Raniero, W., Carraro, C., Riccetto, S., Sgarbossa, F., et al. (2021). New method for the production of thin and stable, segmented n plus contacts in HPGe detectors. Eur. Phys. J. A, 57(6), 177–10pp.
Abstract: The realization of pulsed-laser diffused, thin n+ contacts on high purity germanium (HPGe) and their successful segmentation is described. The contacts have been obtained by a laser-induced diffusion of Sb atoms, deposited by sputtering on Ge surface, and then segmented by means of a photolithographic technique. Three small prototypes of gamma ray detectors have been implemented, using the same n+ contact (laser diffused Sb) but with three different geometries and a B implanted p+ contact. Electrical and detection properties of the prototypes have been characterized, showing low leakage currents and good spectroscopy data with different gamma-ray sources. The stability of the detector performance has also been tested subjecting one of the prototypes to a typical annealing treatment.
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Song, J., Dai, L. R., & Oset, E. (2022). How much is the compositeness of a bound state constrained by a and r(0)? The role of the interaction range. Eur. Phys. J. A, 58(7), 133–10pp.
Abstract: We present an approach that allows one to obtain information on the compositeness of molecular states from combined information of the scattering length of the hadronic components, the effective range, and the binding energy. We consider explicitly the range of the interaction in the formalism and show it to be extremely important to improve on the formula of Weinberg obtained in the limit of very small binding and zero range interaction. The method allows obtaining good information also in cases where the binding is not small. We explicitly apply it to the case of the deuteron and the D-s0* (2317) and D-s1* (2460) states and determine simultaneously the value of the compositeness within a certain range, as well as get qualitative information on the range of the interaction.
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n_TOF Collaboration(Mastromarco, M. et al), Domingo-Pardo, C., & Tain, J. L. (2022). High accuracy, high resolution U-235(n,f) cross section from n_TOF (CERN) from 18 meV to 10 keV. Eur. Phys. J. A, 58(8), 147–13pp.
Abstract: The U-235(n,f) cross section was measured in a wide energy range (18 meV-170 keV) at the nTOF facility at CERN, relative to Li-6(n,t) and B-10(n,alpha) standard reactions, with high resolution and accuracy, with a setup based on a stack of six samples and six silicon detectors placed in the neutron beam. In this paper we report on the results in the region between 18 meV and 10 keV neutron energy. A resonance analysis has been performed up to 200 eV, with the code SAMMY. The resulting fission kernels are compared with the ones extracted on the basis of the resonance parameters of the most recent major evaluated data libraries. A comparison of the nTOF data with the evaluated cross sections is also performed from thermal to 10 keV neutron energy for the energy-averaged cross section in energy groups of suitably chosen width. A good agreement, within 0.5%, is found on average between the new results and the latest evaluated data files ENDF/B-VIII.0 and JEFF-3.3, as well as with respect to the broad group average fission cross section established in the framework of the standard working group of IAEA (the so-called reference file). However, some discrepancies, of up to 4%, are still present in some specific energy regions. The new dataset here presented, characterized by a unique combination of high resolution and accuracy, low background and wide energy range, can help to improve the evaluations from the Resolved Resonance Region up to 10 keV, also reducing the uncertainties that affect this region.
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