The CERN n_TOF facility: a unique tool for nuclear data measurement

¹ Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bologna, Italy
² European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Switzerland
³ University of Lodz, Poland
⁴ Institut de Physique Nuclèaire, CNRS-IN2P3, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91406 Orsay Cedex France
⁵ Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Spain
⁶ Technische Universität Wien, Austria
⁷ Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, Italy
⁸ Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon, Portugal
⁹ Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
¹⁰ Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe Universität, Frankfurt, Germany
¹¹ CEA Saclay, Irfu, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
¹² University of Manchester, United Kingdom
¹³ University of Zagreb, Croatia
¹⁴ University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain
¹⁵ Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain
¹⁶ Agenzia nazionale per le nuove tecnologie (ENEA), Bologna, Italy
¹⁷ Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
¹⁸ Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Catania, Italy
¹⁹ Instituto de Física Corpuscular, Universidad de Valencia, Spain
²⁰ Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), Villingen, Italy
²¹ Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), Dubna, Russia
²² Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), India
²³ Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering
²⁴ Institute of Physics and Power Engineering (IPPE), Obninsk, Russia
²⁵ Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Tokai-mura, Japan
²⁶ European Commission JRC, IRMM, Geel, Belgium
²⁷ University of York, United Kingdom
²⁸ Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
²⁹ Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
³⁰ National Technical University of Athens, Greece
³¹ University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
³² University of Bologna, Italy
³³ Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Legnaro, Italy
³⁴ Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste, Italy
³⁵ Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt, Braunschweig, Germany
³⁶ University of Ioannina, Greece
³⁷ Universität Wien, Austria
³⁸ University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
³⁹ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Basel, Switzerland
⁴⁰ Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

^a e-mail: federica.mingrone@cern.ch

Published online: 21 June 2016

Abstract

The study of the resonant structures in neutron-nucleus cross-sections, and therefore of the compound-nucleus reaction mechanism, requires spectroscopic measurements to determine with high accuracy the energy of the neutron interacting with the material under study.

To this purpose, the neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF has been operating since 2001 at CERN. Its characteristics, such as the high intensity instantaneous neutron flux, the wide energy range from thermal to few GeV, and the very good energy resolution, are perfectly suited to perform high-quality measurements of neutron-induced reaction cross sections. The precise and accurate knowledge of these cross sections plays a fundamental role in nuclear technologies, nuclear astrophysics and nuclear physics.

Two different measuring stations are available at the n_TOF facility, called EAR1 and EAR2, with different characteristics of intensity of the neutron flux and energy resolution. These experimental areas, combined with advanced detection systems lead to a great flexibility in performing challenging measurement of high precision and accuracy, and allow the investigation isotopes with very low cross sections, or available only in small quantities, or with very high specific activity.

The characteristics and performances of the two experimental areas of the n_TOF facility will be presented, together with the most important measurements performed to date and their physics case. In addition, the significant upcoming measurements will be introduced.