On the accuracy of cross-section measurements of neutron-induced reactions using the activation technique with natural targets: The case of Ge at En=17.9 MeV

S Chasapoglou; M Kokkoris; R Vlastou; M Diakaki; V Michalopoulou; A Kalamara; G Gkatis; A Stamatopoulos; M Axiotis; S Harissopulos; A Lagoyannis; M I Savva; T Vasilopoulou; C Lederer-Woods; N Patronis; K Kaperoni

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.111077

On the accuracy of cross-section measurements of neutron-induced reactions using the activation technique with natural targets: The case of Ge at E_n=17.9 MeV

Appl Radiat Isot. 2024 Jan:203:111077. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.111077. Epub 2023 Nov 3.

Authors

S Chasapoglou¹, M Kokkoris², R Vlastou², M Diakaki², V Michalopoulou³, A Kalamara⁴, G Gkatis⁵, A Stamatopoulos⁶, M Axiotis⁷, S Harissopulos⁷, A Lagoyannis⁷, M I Savva⁸, T Vasilopoulou⁸, C Lederer-Woods⁹, N Patronis¹⁰, K Kaperoni²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physics, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, Athens, 15772, Greece. Electronic address: sotirischasapoglou@mail.ntua.gr.
² Department of Physics, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, Athens, 15772, Greece.
³ Department of Physics, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, Athens, 15772, Greece; European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva, Switzerland.
⁴ Institute of Nuclear and Radiological Sciences, Technology, Energy & Safety, N.C.S.R. "Demokritos", Athens, Greece; Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, N.C.S.R. "Demokritos", Athens, Greece.
⁵ Department of Physics, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, Athens, 15772, Greece; CEA/DES/IRESNE/DER/SPRC/LEPh, Cadarache, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France.
⁶ Department of Physics, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, Athens, 15772, Greece; Physics Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, United States.
⁷ Tandem Accelerator Laboratory, Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics, N.C.S.R. "Demokritos", Athens, Greece.
⁸ Institute of Nuclear and Radiological Sciences, Technology, Energy & Safety, N.C.S.R. "Demokritos", Athens, Greece.
⁹ School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
¹⁰ Department of Physics, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.

PMID: 37925902
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.111077

Abstract

Several cross-section measurements of neutron-induced reactions on Ge found in literature, are performed utilizing ^natGe targets. The production of the same residual nucleus as the measured one might occur as a result of the unavoidable presence of neighboring isotopes in the same target, acting as a contamination. Corrections must be made based on theoretical calculations and models in order to resolve this problem. The accuracy and limits of a methodology for these "theoretical corrections" are investigated in this work using isotopically enriched targets, which can produce very accurate results without the need for such corrections. Experimental cross-section measurements have been made for the ⁷⁶Ge(n,2n)⁷⁵Ge, ⁷²Ge(n,α)^69mZn and ⁷²Ge(n,p)⁷²Ga reactions, via the activation technique, with the ²⁷Al(n,α)²⁴Na reaction used as reference, employing both a ^natGe and isotopically enriched Ge targets. The ³H(d,n)⁴He (D-T) reaction was used for producing the quasi-monoenergetic neutron beam in the 5.5 MV Tandem Accelerator Laboratory of the National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos" in Athens, Greece, at an incident deuteron beam energy of 2.9 MeV. Using HPGe detectors, γ-ray spectroscopy was applied to determine the induced γ-ray activity of the residual nuclei.

Keywords: Activation method; Cross-section measurements; Enriched targets; Ge; Neutrons; Theoretical corrections.