Measurement of the 235U(n,f) cross section relative to the 10B(n,α) reaction with Micromegas detectors at the CERN n_TOF facility: First results

Abstract

Neutron cross section measurements are often made relative to a neutron cross section standard. Thus, the accuracy of the neutron standards determines the best possible accuracy of the neutron measurements. The 235U(n,f) cross section is widely used as reference, while it is considered a standard at thermal point and between 0.15 to 200 MeV. For this reason, additional cross section data for the 235U(n,f) reaction are useful in order to improve the accuracy and to extend the energy range of the standard. In this work, preliminary results of the measurement of the 235U(n,f) cross-section relative to the standard 10B(n,a) reaction are presented. The high accuracy measurement was performed at the experimental area EAR-1 of the n_TOF facility at CERN, aiming at covering the energy range from the thermal region up to approximately 100 keV. The samples were produced at JRC-Geel in Belgium, while the experimental setup was based on Micromegas detectors.