Fallot, M., Cormon, S., Estienne, M., Algora, A., Bui, V. M., Cucoanes, A., et al. (2012). New Antineutrino Energy Spectra Predictions from the Summation of Beta Decay Branches of the Fission Products. Phys. Rev. Lett., 109(20), 202504–5pp.
Abstract: In this Letter, we study the impact of the inclusion of the recently measured beta decay properties of the Tc-102;104;105;106;107, Mo-105, and Nb-101 nuclei in an updated calculation of the antineutrino energy spectra of the four fissible isotopes U-235,U-238 and Pu-239,Pu-241. These actinides are the main contributors to the fission processes in pressurized water reactors. The beta feeding probabilities of the above-mentioned Tc, Mo, and Nb isotopes have been found to play a major role in the gamma component of the decay heat of Pu-239, solving a large part of the gamma discrepancy in the 4-3000 s range. They have been measured by using the total absorption technique, insensitive to the pandemonium effect. The calculations are performed by using the information available nowadays in the nuclear databases, summing all the contributions of the beta decay branches of the fission products. Our results provide a new prediction of the antineutrino energy spectra of U-235, Pu-239,Pu-241, and, in particular, U-238 for which no measurement has been published yet. We conclude that new total absorption technique measurements are mandatory to improve the reliability of the predicted spectra.
|
Agramunt, J. et al, Algora, A., Domingo-Pardo, C., Jordan, D., Rubio, B., Tain, J. L., et al. (2014). New Beta-delayed Neutron Measurements in the Light-mass Fission Group. Nucl. Data Sheets, 120, 74–77.
Abstract: A new accurate determination of beta-delayed neutron emission probabilities from nuclei in the low mass region of the light fission group has been performed. The measurements were carried out using the BELEN 4 pi neutron counter at the IGISOL-JYFL mass separator in combination with a Penning trap. The new results significantly improve the uncertainties of neutron emission probabilities for Br-91, As-86, As-85, and Ge-85 nuclei.
|
Garcia, A. R., Mendoza, E., Cano-Ott, D., Nolte, R., Martinez, T., Algora, A., et al. (2017). New physics model in GEANT4 for the simulation of neutron interactions with organic scintillation detectors. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 868, 73–81.
Abstract: The accurate determination of the response function of organic scintillation neutron detectors complements their experimental characterization. Monte Carlo simulations with GEANT4 can reduce the effort and cost implied, especially for complex detection systems for which the characterization is more challenging. Previous studies have reported on the inaccuracy of GEANT4 in the calculation of the neutron response of organic scintillation detectors above 6 MeV, due to an incomplete description of the neutron-induced alpha production reactions on carbon. We have improved GEANT4 in this direction by incorporating models and data from NRESP, an excellent Monte Carlo simulation tool developed at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany, for the specific purpose of calculating the neutron response function of organic scintillation detectors. The results have been verified against simulations with NRESP and validated against Time-Of-Flight measurements with an NE213 detector at PTB. This work has potential applications beyond organic scintillation detectors, to other types of detectors where reactions induced by fast neutrons on carbon require an accurate description.
|
n_TOF Collaboration(Lederer, C. et al.), Giubrone, G., & Tain, J. L. (2014). Ni-62(n,gamma) and Ni-63(n,gamma) cross sections measured at the n_TOF facility at CERN. Phys. Rev. C, 89(2), 025810–11pp.
Abstract: The cross section of the Ni-62(n,gamma) reaction was measured with the time-of-flight technique at the neutron time-of-flight facility nTOF at CERN. Capture kernels of 42 resonances were analyzed up to 200 keV neutron energy and Maxwellian averaged cross sections (MACS) from kT = 5-100 keV were calculated. With a total uncertainty of 4.5%, the stellar cross section is in excellent agreement with the the KADoNiS compilation at kT = 30 keV, while being systematically lower up to a factor of 1.6 at higher stellar temperatures. The cross section of the Ni-63(n,gamma) reaction was measured for the first time at nTOF. We determined unresolved cross sections from 10 to 270 keV with a systematic uncertainty of 17%. These results provide fundamental constraints on s-process production of heavier species, especially the production of Cu in massive stars, which serve as the dominant source of Cu in the solar system.
|
n_TOF Collaboration(Gunsing, F. et al), Domingo-Pardo, C., Tain, J. L., & Tarifeño-Saldivia, A. (2016). Nuclear data activities at the n_TOF facility at CERN. Eur. Phys. J. Plus, 131(10), 371–13pp.
Abstract: Nuclear data in general, and neutron-induced reaction cross sections in particular, are important for a wide variety of research fields. They play a key role in the safety and criticality assessment of nuclear technology, not only for existing power reactors but also for radiation dosimetry, medical applications, the transmutation of nuclear waste, accelerator-driven systems, fuel cycle investigations and future reactor systems as in Generation IV. Applications of nuclear data are also related to research fields as the study of nuclear level densities and stellar nucleosynthesis. Simulations and calculations of nuclear technology applications largely rely on evaluated nuclear data libraries. The evaluations in these libraries are based both on experimental data and theoretical models. Experimental nuclear reaction data are compiled on a worldwide basis by the international network of Nuclear Reaction Data Centres (NRDC) in the EXFOR database. The EXFOR database forms an important link between nuclear data measurements and the evaluated data libraries. CERN's neutron time-of-flight facility nTOF has produced a considerable amount of experimental data since it has become fully operational with the start of the scientific measurement programme in 2001. While for a long period a single measurement station (EAR1) located at 185 m from the neutron production target was available, the construction of a second beam line at 20 m (EAR2) in 2014 has substantially increased the measurement capabilities of the facility. An outline of the experimental nuclear data activities at CERN's neutron time-of-flight facility nTOF will be presented.
|
