Protons from the disintegration of deuterons by 8–28 MeV neutrons

Abstract

Proton spectra from the 2H(n, p)2n reaction have been measured for neutron bombarding energies of about 8, 10, 13, 14, 23 and 28 MeV at an average proton emission angle of 5° and for bombarding energies of 10 and 28 MeV at an angle of 20°. Measurements were performed with a counter telescope. Absolute cross sections were obtained by comparing breakup yields with those from elastic n-p scattering. The 5° data are compared with the predictions of the Watson theory and the impulse approximation. At 23 and 28 MeV, the Watson theory yielded peaks near the maximum break-up energy which were much broader than those measured. The impulse approximation yielded fits at all bombarding energies with values of the n-n scattering length ranging from 13.5 to 22 fm.