Present Status and Future Programs of the n_TOF Experiment

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License 3.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any noncommercial medium, provided the original work is properly citedThe neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF at CERN, Switzerland, operational since 2001, delivers neutrons using the Proton Synchrotron (PS) 20 GeV/c proton beam impinging on a lead spallation target. The facility combines a very high instantaneous neutron flux, an excellent time of flight resolution due to the distance between the experimental area and the production target (185 meters), a low intrinsic background and a wide range of neutron energies, from thermal to GeV neutrons. These characteristics provide a unique possibility to perform neutron-induced capture and fission cross-section measurements for applications in nuclear astrophysics and in nuclear reactor technology.The most relevant measurements performed up to now and foreseen for the future will be presented in this contribution. The overall efficiency of the experimental program and the range of possible measurements achievable with the construction of a second experimental area (EAR-2), vertically located 20 m on top of the n_TOF spallation target, might offer a substantial improvement in measurement sensitivities. A feasibility study of the possible realisation of the installation extension will be also presented

Measurement of the (90,91,92,93,94,96)Zr(n,gamma) and (139)La(n,gamma) cross sections at n_TOF

Open AccessNeutron capture cross sections of Zr and La isotopes have important implications in the field of nuclear astrophysics as well as in the nuclear technology. In particular the Zr isotopes play a key role for the determination of the neutron density in the He burning zone of the Red Giant star, while the (139)La is important to monitor the s-process abundances from Ba up to Ph. Zr is also largely used as structural materials of traditional and advanced nuclear reactors. The nuclear resonance parameters and the cross section of (90,91,92,93,94,96)Zr and (139)La have been measured at the n_TOF facility at CERN. Based on these data the capture resonance strength and the Maxwellian-averaged cross section were calculated

Application of Photon Strength Functions to (n,g ) Measurements with the n_TOF TAC

The neutron capture cross section measurements at the CERN n_TOF facility are performed using a new detection system, the segmented Total Absorption Calorimeter (TAC). All measurements are performed in reference to the well known 197Au s (n,g ). The accuracy of the measurements depends on the accuracy of the TAC detection efficiency, which is calculated by means of Monte Carlo simulations. In this MC simulation photon strength functions and level densities play a major role as ingredients used for the generation of primary events, that is the electromagnetic cascades following the (n,g ) process. We have calculated the TAC detection efficiency for the case of 197Au(n,g ) by adjusting the photon strength functions of 198Au so that the simulation reproduces the experimental data. Both the MC method and the uncertainty of the results are discussed.JRC.D.5-Neutron physic

Neutron-induced fission cross sections of Th 232 and U 233 up to 1 GeV using parallel plate avalanche counters at the CERN n_TOF facility

The neutron-induced fission cross sections of Th232 and U233 were measured relative to U235 in a wide neutron energy range up to 1 GeV (and from fission threshold in the case of Th232, and from 0.7 eV in case of U233), using the white-spectrum neutron source at the CERN Neutron Time-of-Flight (n_TOF) facility. Parallel plate avalanche counters (PPACs) were used, installed at the Experimental Area 1 (EAR1), which is located at 185 m from the neutron spallation target. The anisotropic emission of fission fragments were taken into account in the detection efficiency by using, in the case of U233, previous results available in EXFOR, whereas in the case of Th232 these data were obtained from our measurement, using PPACs and targets tilted 45° with respect to the neutron beam direction. Finally, the obtained results are compared with past measurements and major evaluated nuclear data libraries. Calculations using the high-energy reaction models INCL++ and ABLA07 were performed and some of their parameters were modified to reproduce the experimental results. At high energies, where no other neutron data exist, our results are compared with experimental data on proton-induced fission. Moreover, the dependence of the fission cross section at 1 GeV with the fissility parameter of the target nucleus is studied by combining those (p,f) data with our (n,f) data on Th232 and U233 and on other isotopes studied earlier at n_TOF using the same experimental setup

Neutron-induced fission cross section of (234)U and (237)Np measured at the CERN Neutron Time-of-Flight (n_TOF) facility

A high-resolution measurement of the neutron-induced fission cross section of (234)U and (237)Np has been performed at the CERN Neutron Time-of-Flight facility. The cross sections have been determined in a wide energy range from 1 eV to 1 GeV using the evaluated (235)U cross section as reference. In these measurements the energy determination for the (234)U resonances could be improved, whereas previous discrepancies for the (237)Np resonances were confirmed. New cross-section data are provided for high neutron energies that go beyond the limits of prior evaluations, obtaining important differences in the case of (237)Np.Physical Review

Neutron-induced fission cross section of (nat)Pb and (209)Bi from threshold to 1 GeV: An improved parametrization

Neutron-induced fission cross sections for (nat)Pb and (209)Bi were measured with a white-spectrum neutron source at the CERN Neutron Time-of-Flight (n_TOF) facility. The experiment, using neutrons from threshold up to 1 GeV, provides the first results for these nuclei above 200 MeV. The cross sections were measured relative to (235)U and (238)U in a dedicated fission chamber with parallel plate avalanche counter detectors. Results are compared with previous experimental data. Upgraded parametrizations of the cross sections are presented, from threshold energy up to 1 GeV. The proposed new sets of fitting parameters improve former results along the whole energy range.Physical Review

Preparation and characterization of ³³S samples for ³³S(n,α)³⁰Si cross-section measurements at the n_TOF facility at CERN

Thin 33S samples for the study of the 33S(n,α)30Si cross-section at the n_TOF facility at CERN were made by thermal evaporation of 33S powder onto a dedicated substrate made of kapton covered with thin layers of copper, chromium and titanium. This method has provided for the first time bare sulfur samples a few centimeters in diameter. The samples have shown an excellent adherence with no mass loss after few years and no sublimation in vacuum at room temperature. The determination of the mass thickness of 33S has been performed by means of Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. The samples have been successfully tested under neutron irradiation

Neutron induced reactions for the s process, and the case of Fe and Ni isotopes

Neutron capture cross sections are the key nuclear physics input to understand nucleosynthesis of the slow neutron capture process (s process). At the neutron time of flight facility n-TOF at CERN neutron capture cross sections of astrophysical interest are measured over a wide energy range. A measurement campaign to determine the stellar (n,γ) cross sections of Fe and Ni isotopes is currently being pursued. First results on the stellar cross section of Ni(n,γ) confirm previous experimental results. The cross section of the radioactive s-process branching Ni was measured for the first time at stellar energies and is about a factor of 2 higher than theoretical predictions. Future facilities and upgrades will allow to access a number of other radioactive nuclides which are crucial for understanding physical conditions of s-process environment