4He Reaction Research Articles

Beam production of 18Ne with in-flight method for alpha scattering at CRIB

We conducted a measurement of 18Ne + α scattering in inverse kinematics, in order to search for experimental evidence of α-cluster structure in 22Mg above the alpha threshold (Ethr=8.14MeV) and determine the astrophysical rates of the 18Ne(α, p)21Na reaction under the conditions of break-out from the Hot-CNO cycle. A high intensity 18Ne beam at 2.54 AMeV was successfully produced at CRIB (CNS Radioactive Ion Beam separator) of the Center for Nuclear Study, the University of Tokyo. This paper presents the in-flight production of the radioactive 18Ne beam by using the production reaction 3He(16O, 18Ne)n with a windowed cryogenic gas target, which was employed in the mentioned resonant α-scattering experiment.

Accumulated 2-D neutron flux distribution during KSTAR operation

Since the successful first H-mode in 2010, duration of H-mode is extended to 1 min and the highest stored plasma energy up to 0.6 MJ is obtained by developing hybrid and internal transport barrier (ITB) mode as well as typical H-mode. Major heating system is the neutral beam (NB) of 100 keV with 5.5 MW and it is planned that the new additional 6 MW NBI is installed in 2018. So there is a lot of production of fast neutrons coming from via D(d,n)3He reaction and it is found that most of neutrons are 2.45 MeV neutrons coming from deuterium beam plasma interaction and the total neutron fluence during a campaign could be estimated to be about 1019. In particular, several nickel activation samples are installed inside/outside the vacuum vessel poloidally and toroidally and the total accumulated neutron flux is estimated from 811 keV gamma emission measurement after the campaign. The results show that the neutron activation both inside and outside the vacuum vessel has toroidally non-axisymmetric distribution and it has the highest neutron flux around poloidal limiter area. Considering the prompt ion loss at nominal KSTAR operation including the high beta-p operation, prompt loss ions from 100 keV neutral ion beams hitting on three poloidal limiters was not negligible and the non-uniform distribution is discussed in term of prompt ion loss to the poloidal limiter. In addition, this work reports on the quantitative analysis of poloidal distribution of the neutron emission based on accumulated flux measurements.

Energy Dependence of Total Cross Sections for Reactions with 4, 6he, 6, 7, 9li Nuclei

The paper presents the results of measurement of the total cross sections for reactions 4,6He + Si and 6,7,9Li + Si in the beam energy range 5−50 A⋅MeV. The enhancements of the total cross sections for reaction 6He + Si compared with reaction 4He + Si, and 9Li + Si compared with reactions 6,7Li + Si have been observed. The performed microscopic analysis of total cross sections for reactions 6He + Si and 9Li + Si based on numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for external neutrons of projectile nuclei 6He and 9Li yielded good agreement with experimental data.

Possible Existence of Neutron-Proton Halo in 6Li

One of the most recent results was the determination of the proton halo in the first excited state of the 13N nucleus using of an analog of the MDM method for the charge exchange reactions (3He, t). It turned out that this state has the same radius as the mirror state 1/2+, 3.09 MeV in 13C.This observation allows us to take the next step and try to apply this approach to measure the radii of states. The increased radii in the isobar - analogue states of the 6He-6Li-6Be triplet, which may also have a halo structure, are not excluded. As a first step, we analyzed the published differential cross sections for inelastic scattering of 3He + 6Li with the excitation of the 2.19 MeV, 3+ state at energies 34 and 72 MeV and 3.56 MeV, 0+ state at energies 24.6 and 27 MeV. Probably the state 0+, 3.56 MeV has the same radius as its ”Borromian” isobar analogue 6He and is neutron-proton halo. The predicted enlarged radius because of the more extended wave function p - n, apparently, does not take place. We recall that the spatial structure of the 6He nucleus was predicted to be quite complex, in which correlations of two types appeared: ”cigar” and ”dineutron”. The question arises: does the structure of the state change so much when passing from 6He to the isobar-analoguein6Li,whichrequirestheintroductionofaspecialkindof“tango-halo”.

Activation cross section and isomeric cross section ratio for the 76Ge(n,2n)75m,gGe process

.We measured neutron-induced reaction cross sections for the 76Ge(n,2n)75m,gGe reactions and their isomeric cross section ratios sigma_{m}/sigma_{g} at three neutron energies between 13 and 15MeV by an activation and off-line gamma-ray spectrometric technique using the K-400 Neutron Generator at the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP). Ge samples and Nb monitor foils were activated together to determine the reaction cross section and the incident neutron flux. The monoenergetic neutron beams were formed via the 3H(d,n)4He reaction. The pure cross section of the ground state was derived from the absolute cross section of the metastable state and the residual nuclear decay analysis. The cross sections were also calculated using the nuclear model code TALYS-1.8 with different level density options at neutron energies varying from the reaction threshold to 20MeV. Results are discussed and compared with the corresponding literature data.

Мішень із вуглецю як джерело нейтронів із реакцій 12C(d,n)13N та D(d,n)3He

Мішень із вуглецю як джерело нейтронів із реакцій 12C(d,n)13N та D(d,n)3He

Activation cross sections for the 110Pd(n,2n) reaction and the isomeric cross-sections ratio of 109m,gPd in the neutron energy range of 13–15 MeV

The 110Pd(n,2n)109m,gPd reaction cross-sections and the isomeric cross section ratios (σm/σg) in the neutron energy range of 13-15 MeV have been measured by an activation and off-line g-ray spectrometric technique using the 300Pd Neutron Generator at the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP). The natural Pd samples and Nb monitor foils were activated together to determine the reaction cross section and the incident neutron flux. The neutron beams were generated via the 3H(d,n)4He reaction. The pure cross section of the ground-state was derived from the absolute cross section of the metastable state and the residual nuclear decay analysis. The 110Pd(n,2n)109m,gPd reaction excitation functions and their isomeric cross section ratios were also calculated theoretically using the computer code TALYS-1.8 with different level density options. Results are discussed and compared with the corresponding literature data.

Measurement of the 2H(7Be, 6Li)3He reaction rate and its contribution to the primordial lithium abundance**Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11375269, 11505117, 11490560, 11475264, 11321064), Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (2015A030310012), 973 program of China (2013CB834406) and National key Research and Development Province (2016YFA0400502)

In the standard Big Bang nucleosynthesis (SBBN) model, the lithium puzzle has attracted intense interest over the past few decades, but still has not been solved. Conventionally, the approach is to include more reactions flowing into or out of lithium, and study the potential effects of those reactions which were not previously considered. 7Be(d, 3He)6Li is a reaction that not only produces 6Li but also destroys 7Be, which decays to 7Li, thereby affecting 7Li indirectly. Therefore, this reaction could alleviate the lithium discrepancy if its reaction rate is sufficiently high. However, there is not much information available about the 7Be(d, 3He)6Li reaction rate. In this work, the angular distributions of the 7Be(d, 3He)6Li reaction are measured at the center of mass energies Ecm = 4.0 MeV and 6.7 MeV with secondary 7Be beams for the first time. The excitation function of the 7Be(d, 3He)6Li reaction is first calculated with the computer code TALYS and then normalized to the experimental data, then its reaction rate is deduced. A SBBN network calculation is performed to investigate its influence on the 6Li and 7Li abundances. The results show that the 7Be(d, 3He)6Li reaction has a minimal effect on 6Li and 7Li because of its small reaction rate. Therefore, the 7Be(d, 3He)6Li reaction is ruled out by this experiment as a means of alleviating the lithium discrepancy.

Activation cross section and isomeric cross-section ratio for the 151Eu(n,2n)150m,gEu process

The cross sections of 151Eu(n,2n)150m,gEu reactions and their isomeric cross section ratios σm/σt have been measured experimentally. Cross sections are measured, relative to a reference 93Nb(n,2n)92mNb reaction cross section, by means of the activation technique at three neutron energies 13.5, 14.1, and 14.8 MeV. Monoenergetic neutron beams were formed via the 3H(d,n)4He reaction and both Eu2O3 samples and Nb monitor foils were activated together to determine the reaction cross section and the incident neutron flux. The activities induced in the reaction products were measured using high−resolution gamma ray spectroscopy. Cross sections were also evaluated theoretically using the numerical nuclear model code, TALYS-1.8 with different level density options at neutron energies varying from the reaction threshold to 20 MeV. Results are discussed and compared with the corresponding literature.

Direct experimental detection of spatially localized clusters in nuclei on alpha-particle beams

Direct method for detecting intranuclear clusters of nuclear matter-clusters and determining their effective numbers was developed. The idea of the method is based on the functional coincidence of kinematics for light nuclei in the free state and clusters of the same mass within the nuclear volume. The reliability of the method is additionally confirmed by two experimental methods. The experiments were carried out at the Kazakhstan U-150M accelerator on a beam of [Formula: see text]-particles with energy of 29[Formula: see text]MeV. The first method consists in measuring the half-width of the elastic scattering peak from the angle and a comparison between the differential cross-sections of elastically scattered [Formula: see text] particles on free light nuclei and the differential cross-sections obtained by the authors on intranuclear multicluster. Using the second method, the correlation method, an experiment was performed to record the scattered [Formula: see text] particle on the 9Be nucleus-matrix and the recoil nucleus identical to it ([Formula: see text] particle). Thus, the kinematics of the [Formula: see text] 4He reaction, where 4He is an intranuclear [Formula: see text] cluster, indicates the presence of an intranuclear alpha cluster, which is further confirmed by the authors, an experimental measurement of intranuclear multicluster.

Trojan Horse cross section measurements and their impact on primordial nucleosynthesis

Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) nucleosynthesis requires several nuclear physics inputs and, among them, an important role is played by nuclear reaction rates. They are among the most important input for a quantitative description of the early Universe. An up-to-date compilation of direct cross sections of d(d,p)t, d(d,n)3He and 3He(d,p)4He reactions is given, being these ones among the most uncertain bare-nucleus cross sections.An intense experimental effort has been carried on in the last decade to apply the Trojan Horse Method (THM) to study reactions of relevance for the BBN and measure their astrophysical S(E)-factor. The result of these recent measurements is reviewed and compared with the available direct data. The reaction rates and the relative error for the four reactions of interest are then numerically calculated in the temperature ranges of relevance for BBN (0.01<T9 <10) and compared with up-to-date reaction rate compilations. Their value were therefore used as input physics for primordial nucleosynthesis calculations in order to evaluate their impact on the calculated primordial abundances of D, 3,4He and 7Li. These ones were then compared with the observational primordial abundance estimates in different astrophysical sites. A comparison was also performed with calculations using other reaction rates compilations available in literature.

Spectroscopic fast neutron transmission imaging in a treaty verification setting

Measurements of the geometric configuration of objects and their material composition are needed for nuclear treaty verification purposes. We experimentally demonstrate a simple method based on monoenergetic fast neutron transmission to realize crude imaging of the geometric configuration of special nuclear material, confirm its fissionable content, and obtain information on its approximate fissile mass. In the experiment, we used monoenergetic neutrons from D(d, n)3He and T(d, n)4He reactions and a linear array of liquid scintillation detectors to perform spectroscopic neutron imaging of up to 13.7 kg of highly enriched uranium in a spherical geometry. We also show an example of detection of material diversion and confirm the presence of fissionable material based on the measurement of high-energy prompt fission neutrons, including estimating the quantity of material from the comparison of measured and predicted fission neutron emission rate. The combination of crude imaging and fissionable material detection and quantification in a simple approach may be attractive in certain treaty verification scenarios.

Study of the 2H(p,γ)3He reaction in the BBN energy range at LUNA

Using Big Bang Nucleosynthesis with the recent cosmological parameters obtained by the Planck collaboration, a primordial deuterium abundance value D/H = (2.65 ± 0.07) × 10−5 is obtained. This one is a little bit in tension with astronomical observations on metal- poor damped Lyman alpha systems where D/H = (2.53 ± 0.04) × 105. In order to reduce the BBN calculation uncertainty, a measurement of the 2H(p,γ)3He cross section in the energy range 10-300 keV with a 3% accuracy is thus desirable. Thanks to the low background of the underground Gran Sasso Laboratories, and to the experience accumulated in more than twenty years of scientific activity, LUNA (Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics) planned to measure the 2H(p,γ)3He fusion cross section at the BBN energy range in 2015-2016. A feasibility test of the measurement has been recently performed at LUNA. In this paper, the results obtained will be shown. Possible cosmological outcomes from the future LUNA data will be also discussed.

Extraction of the neutron electric form factor from measurements of inclusive double spin asymmetries

Background: Measurements of the neutron charge form factor, GEn, are challenging because the neutron has no net charge. In addition, measurements of the neutron form factors must use nuclear targets which require accurately accounting for nuclear effects. Extracting GEn with different targets and techniques provides an important test of our handling of these effects. Purpose: The goal of the measurement was to use an inclusive asymmetry measurement technique to extract the neutron charge form factor at a four-momentum transfer of 1(GeV/c)2. This technique has very different systematic uncertainties than traditional exclusive measurements and thus serves as an independent check of whether nuclear effects have been taken into account correctly. Method: The inclusive quasielastic reaction 3He⃗(e⃗,e′) was measured at Jefferson Laboratory. The neutron electric form factor, GEn, was extracted at Q2=0.98(GeV/c)2 from ratios of electron-polarization asymmetries measured for two orthogonal target spin orientations. This Q2 is high enough that the sensitivity to GEn is not overwhelmed by the neutron magnetic contribution, and yet low enough that explicit neutron detection is not required to suppress pion production. Results: The neutron electric form factor, GEn, was determined to be 0.0414±0.0077(stat)±0.0022(syst), providing the first high-precision inclusive extraction of the neutron's charge form factor. Conclusions: The use of the inclusive quasielastic 3He⃗(e⃗,e′) with a four-momentum transfer near 1(GeV/c)2 has been used to provide a unique measurement of GEn. This new result provides a systematically independent validation of the exclusive extraction technique results and implies that the nuclear corrections are understood. This is contrary to the proton form factor where asymmetry and differential cross section measurements have been shown to have large systematic differences.Received 24 June 2017DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.96.065206©2017 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasPhotonuclear reactionsPhysical SystemsNeutronsPropertiesForm factorsNuclear PhysicsParticles & Fields

DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGH-EFFICIENCY PROTON RECOIL TELESCOPE FOR D-T NEUTRON FLUENCE MEASUREMENT.

A high-efficiency proton recoil telescope was developed to determine neutron fluences in neutron fields using the 3H(d,n)4He reaction. A 2-mm thick plastic scintillation detector was employed as a radiator to increase the detection efficiency and compensate for the energy loss of the recoil proton within. Two silicon detectors were employed as the ΔE and E detectors. The distance between the radiator and the E detector was varied between 50 and 150 mm. The telescope had detection efficiencies of 3.5 × 10-3 and 7.1 × 10-4 cm2 for distances of 50 and 100 mm, respectively, which were high enough to determine the neutron fluence in 14.8-MeV neutron fields, with a few thousand cm-2 s-1 fluence rate, within a few hours.

Neutron Production in Solar Flares by Reactions of Accelerated 3He

Abstract Previously, we showed that 3He is enhanced in the ion population accelerated in large solar flares, with a 3He/4He ratio of &gt;0.1; i.e., several orders of magnitude larger than the accepted coronal value. We also showed that when 3He is enhanced, its nuclear reactions with elements of the solar atmosphere can significantly impact both positron production (and the subsequent positron-annihilation line) and the gamma-ray de-excitation-line spectrum. Both the 2.223 MeV neutron-capture line and escaping neutrons are important additional flare observables. Neutron production from reactions of 3He with heavy elements of the solar atmosphere are not currently included in our neutron-production code, and the reliable and consistent analysis of all available solar-flare data requires that neutron-production calculations include these reactions. We evaluate the neutron-production cross sections for these reactions and include them in the code. We then explore how the neutron observables (the escaping-neutron yield and spectrum and the flux of the neutron-capture line) are affected by 3He reactions. We find that neutron production by accelerated 3He reactions with heavy elements is similar to that by accelerated 4He and so will be significant only for accelerated 3He/4He ratios greater than 1.

Dp breakup reaction investigation using polarized and unpolarized deuteron beam

Deuteron Spin Structure (DSS) collaboration program is aimed on few nucleon correlations investigation using unpolarized and polarized deuteron beam at intermediate energy range. Data of the dp breakup reaction have been obtained at energy range from 300 - 500 MeV of deuteron energy for various detector configurations in region where few nucleon correlations and relativistic effects can play significant role. Results are obtained in the form of S-curve and T20 and iT11 tensor analyzing powers in case of unpolarized and polarized data, respectively. Future plans on extracted deuteron beam of Nuclotron are concerned to tensor analyzing power T20 and spin correlation Cyy of 3He(d, p)4He reaction in the kinetic energy range between 1.0 and 1.75 GeV.

On the Determination of the 7Be(n, α)4He Reaction Cross Section at BBN Energies

Abstract 7Be destruction channels are currently a matter of study because of their influence on the 7Li cosmological abundances. Here, we determine the cross section of the (n, α) reaction by using Trojan Horse experimental data for the 7Li(p, α)4He reaction and correcting for Coulomb effects. The deduced 7Be(n, α)4He data overlap with the Big Bang nucleosynthesis energies and the deduced reaction rate allows us to evaluate the corresponding cosmological implications.

Study of background processes with the formation of neutrons in nuclear reactions in the energy range of 26–32 kev

The nature of background processes accompanying astrophysical nuclear reactions induced by hydrogen, helium, and neon ions in deuterated targets with small cross sections has been studied in calculations and experiments. The experiments have been performed at a Hall pulsed plasma accelerator in the ion energy range of 26–32 keV. The yield of background neutrons and γ-quanta with energies below 4 MeV in the proton-induced D(p, γ)3He reaction is primarily due to the presence of a natural impurity of gaseous deuterium in gaseous hydrogen and the chain of D(D, 3He)n → (n, γ) or (n, n'γ) reactions. A small contribution comes from the chain of D(1H, 1H)D → D(D, 3He)n → (n, γ) or (n, n'γ) reactions. It has been shown that background neutrons and γ-quanta from the D(4He, γ)6Li reaction are entirely due to the chain of D(4He, 4He)D → D(D, 3He)n → (n, γ) or (n, n'γ) reactions. It has been shown that the yield of neutrons and γ-ray photons detected at the interaction of neon ions with deuterated targets is also entirely due to the chain of elastic- scattering reactions of neon ions on deuterons in the target and to subsequent inelastic processes of interaction of deuterons accelerated at elastic scattering with other deuterons of the target. The main contribution to the yields of background neutrons and γ-quanta comes from doubly charged neon ions. The main conclusion is that the explanation of the yield of neutrons and γ-quanta at the interaction of hydrogen, helium, and neon ions with deuterated targets does not require “exotic” theoretical models.

Microscopic multichannel investigation of the 6Li + n seven-nucleon nuclear system at low energies

The 6Li + n seven-nucleon nuclear system is studied at low energies within a microscopic approach based on the multichannel algebraic version of the resonating group model. The partial and total cross sections for the 6Li(n, t)4He reaction are calculated. The contributions of the various partial cross sections to the energy dependence of the total cross section are considered. The results of the calculations are found to be in a good agreement with experimental data.