Investigation of the ⁷Li(p,n) neutron fields at high energies

¹ Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 1, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
² Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Bundesallee 100, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany
³ FH Aachen, Heinrich-Mußmann-Straße 1, 52428 Jülich, Germany
⁴ University of Notre Dame, 46556 Indiana, USA

^* e-mail: brueckner@iap.uni-frankfurt.de

Published online: 24 February 2022

Abstract

The neutron activation method is well-suited to investigate neutron-capture cross sections relevant for the main s-process component. Neutrons can be produced via the ⁷Li(p,n) reaction with proton energies of 1912 keV at e.g. Van de Graaff accelerators, which results in a quasi-Maxwellian spectrum of neutrons corresponding to a temperature of k_BT = 25 keV. However, the weak s-process takes place in massive stars at temperatures between 25 and 90 keV. Simulations using the PINO code [2] suggest that a Maxwellian spectrum for higher energies, e.g. k_BT = 90 keV, can be approximated by a linear combination of different neutron spectra. To validate the PINO code at proton energies E_p ≠ 1912 keV, neutron time-of-flight measurements were carried out at the PTB Ion Accelerator Facility (PIAF) at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt in Braunschweig, Germany.