MEASUREMENT OF ^182,184,186W (N, N’ γ) CROSS SECTIONS AND WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM IT

Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France ghenning@iphc.cnrs.fr
^1. Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France.
^2. Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Bucharest-Magurele, Romania.
^3. IAEA, Nuclear Data Section, Vienna, Austria.
^4. European Commission, Joint Research Centre, B-2440 Geel, Belgium.
^5. CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon, France.
^6. Theoretical Division,Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.

Published online: 22 February 2021

Abstract

Today’s development of nuclear installations rely on numerical simulation for which the main input are evaluated nuclear data. Inelastic neutron scattering (n, xn) is a reaction of importance because it modifies the neutron population, the neutron energy distribution and may create new isotopes. The study of this reaction on tungsten isotopes is interesting because it is a common structural material. Additionally, tungsten isotopes are a good testing field for theories. The IPHC group started an experimental program with the GRAPhEME setup installed at the neutron beam facility GELINA to measure (n, xn γ) reaction cross sections using prompt gamma spectroscopy and neutron energy determination by time-of-flight. The obtained experimental data provide constraints on nuclear reaction mechanisms models for ^182,184,186W. Indeed, to reproduce correctly the experimental (n, n’ γ) cross-sections, the reaction codes must include accurate models of the reaction mechanism, nuclear de-excitation process and use correct nuclear structure information.