Cross sections for 14 MeV neutron interaction with lutetium isotopes and their theoretical excitation functions* *Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Henan (232300420130) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (11575090)

Abstract

The cross-sections for the 175Lu(n,p)175Yb, 175Lu(n,α)172Tm, 176Lu(n,α)173Tm, 175Lu(n,2n)174mLu, and 175Lu(n,2n)174gLu reactions at 13.57, 14.03 14.62, and 14.86 MeV neutron energies were measured using an activation technique. The theoretical excitation functions of these reactions were calculated using the Talys-1.95 code. The reaction cross-section data experimentally obtained were analyzed and compared with experimental data reported in the literature, data from five major evaluated nuclear data libraries of IAEA, and theoretical values based on Talys-1.95. The data obtained at some neutron energies agree with some of the data reported in the literature and theoretical values based on Talys-1.95. The consistency of the theoretical curves of excitation functions based on Talys-1.95 with the data obtained in this study and those reported in the literature is higher than that of the evaluation curves of excitation functions for the 175Lu(n,p)175Yb, 175Lu(n,α)172 Tm, and 176Lu(n,α)173Tm reactions. This study is helpful because it provides new evaluated reaction cross-section data on lutetium (which is a fusion reactor material), improves the quality of neutron-induced reaction cross section data libraries, and advances the research on related applications.