Consistency of O16(n,α) cross sections

Abstract

The evaluated $^{16}\mathrm{O}(n,\ensuremath{\alpha})$ cross sections in the ENDF/B-VIII.0 nuclear data library remain uncertain because of systematic discrepancies in the measured data. In the energy region below the first excited state, $R$-matrix analyses rely heavily on the inverse reaction, and in particular, they rely on the measured $^{13}\mathrm{C}(\ensuremath{\alpha},n)^{16}\mathrm{O}$ cross sections reported by Bair et al. in 1973 and Harissopulos et al. in 2005. The Harissopulos cross section values are systematically lower than those previously reported by Bair. Drawing on the available experimental information, this paper briefly describes and demonstrates that the two sets of measured cross sections are consistent.