The energy spectrum of neutrons from ⁷Li(d,n)⁸Be reaction at deuteron energy 2.9 MeV

Joint Stock Company “State Scientific Centre of the Russian Federation – Institute for Physics and Power Engineering named after A.I. Leypunsky (”JSC “SSC RF – IPPE”), 249033 Obninsk, Russia

^a e-mail: kmitrofanov@ippe.ru

Published online: 13 September 2017

Abstract

The neutron beams generated at the electrostatic accelerators using nuclear reactions T(p,n)³He, D(d,n)³He, ⁷Li(p,n)⁷Be, T(d,n)⁴He, ⁷Li(d,n)⁸Be, ⁹Be(d,n)¹⁰B are widely used in neutron physics and in many practical applications. Among these reactions the least studied reactions are ⁷Li(d,n)⁸Be and ⁹Be(d,n)¹⁰B. The present work is devoted to the measurement of the neutron spectrum from ⁷Li(d,n)⁸Be reaction at 0^∘ angle to the deuteron beam axis on the electrostatic accelerator Tandetron (JSC “SSC RF – IPPE”) using activation method and a stilbene crystal scintillation detector. The first time ever ⁷Li(d,n)⁸Be reaction was measured by activation method. The target was a thick lithium layer on metallic backing. The energy of the incident deuteron was 2.9 MeV. As activation detectors a wide range of nuclear reactions were used: ²⁷Al(n,p)²⁷Mg, ²⁷Al(n,α)²⁴Na, ¹¹³In(n,n')^113mIn, ¹¹⁵In(n,n')^115mIn, ¹¹⁵In(n,γ)^116mIn, ⁵⁸Ni(n,p)^58mCo, ⁵⁸Ni(n,2n)⁵⁷Ni, ¹⁹⁷Au(n,γ)¹⁹⁸Au, ¹⁹⁷Au(n,2n)¹⁹⁶Au, ⁵⁹Co(n,p)⁵⁹Fe, ⁵⁹Co(n,2n)^58m+gCo, ⁵⁹Co (n,g)⁶⁰Co. Measurement of the induced gamma-activity was carried out using HPGe detector Canberra GX5019 [1]. The up-to-date evaluations of the cross sections for these reactions were used in processing of the data. The program STAYSL was used to unfold the energy spectra. The neutron spectra obtained by activation detectors is consistent with the corresponding data measured by a stilbene crystal scintillation detector within their uncertainties.