Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026
10:42
Preparing an Isotopically Pure 229Th Ion Beam for Studies of 229mTh
Published on: May 3, 2019
Neutron-induced light-ion production from Fe, Pb and U at 96 MeV
S Pomp1, V Blideanu, J Blomgren
1Department of Neutron Research, Uppsala University, Sweden. Stephan.Pomp@tsl.uu.se
Radiation Protection Dosimetry
|May 19, 2007
Summary
This study measured neutron-induced light-ion production cross-sections for Fe, Pb, and U. The findings aid in understanding nuclear waste transmutation and pre-equilibrium nuclear reactions.
Area of Science:
- Nuclear Physics
- Nuclear Reaction Data
- Accelerator-Driven Systems
Background:
- Accurate nuclear data is crucial for nuclear waste transmutation.
- Understanding pre-equilibrium nuclear reactions is key to nuclear modeling.
Purpose of the Study:
- Measure double-differential cross-sections for light-ion production induced by 96 MeV neutrons on Fe, Pb, and U.
- Improve the nuclear database for accelerator-driven systems (ADS) applications.
- Provide data for validating nuclear reaction models, particularly the pre-equilibrium stage.
Main Methods:
- Experiments conducted at The Svedberg Laboratory using MEDLEY and SCANDAL devices.
- Measurements covered a wide angular range (20-160 degrees) with low energy thresholds.
- Data normalization performed using simultaneously recorded np elastic scattering events.
Main Results:
- Obtained double-differential cross-sections for light-ion production (up to A=4) for Fe, Pb, and U.
- Reported cross-section data normalized using np elastic scattering.
- Data collected within the HINDAS collaboration.
Conclusions:
- The generated cross-section data are vital for advancing nuclear waste incineration technologies.
- The results offer valuable insights into the pre-equilibrium phase of nuclear reactions.
- Comparison with theoretical model calculations is planned.
Related Concept Videos
03:20Nuclear Transmutation
Nuclear transmutation is the conversion of one nuclide into another. It can occur by the radioactive decay of a nucleus, or the reaction of a nucleus with another particle. The first manmade nucleus was produced in Ernest Rutherford’s laboratory in 1919 by a transmutation reaction, the bombardment of one type of nuclei with other nuclei or with neutrons. Rutherford bombarded nitrogen-14 atoms with high-speed α particles from a natural radioactive isotope of radium and observed protons being...
02:45Nuclear Fusion
The process of converting very light nuclei into heavier nuclei is also accompanied by the conversion of mass into large amounts of energy, a process called fusion. The principal source of energy in the sun is a net fusion reaction in which four hydrogen nuclei fuse and ultimately produce one helium nucleus and two positrons.
A helium nucleus has a mass that is 0.7% less than that of four hydrogen nuclei; this lost mass is converted into energy during the fusion. This reaction produces about...
A helium nucleus has a mass that is 0.7% less than that of four hydrogen nuclei; this lost mass is converted into energy during the fusion. This reaction produces about...
03:23Types of Radioactivity
The most common types of radioactivity are α decay, β decay, γ decay, neutron emission, and electron capture.
Alpha (α) decay is the emission of an α particle from the nucleus. For example, polonium-210 undergoes α decay:
Alpha (α) decay is the emission of an α particle from the nucleus. For example, polonium-210 undergoes α decay:
02:50Nuclear Fission
Many heavier elements with smaller binding energies per nucleon can decompose into more stable elements that have intermediate mass numbers and larger binding energies per nucleon—that is, mass numbers and binding energies per nucleon that are closer to the “peak” of the binding energy graph near 56. Sometimes neutrons are also produced. This decomposition of a large nucleus into smaller pieces is called fission. The breaking is rather random with the formation of a large number of different...
02:13Nuclear Binding Energy
The difference between the calculated and experimentally measured masses is known as the mass defect of the atom. In the case of helium-4, the mass defect indicates a “loss” in mass of 4.0331 amu – 4.0026 amu = 0.0305 amu. The loss in mass accompanying the formation of an atom from protons, neutrons, and electrons is due to the conversion of that mass into energy that is evolved as the atom forms. The nuclear binding energy is the energy produced when the atoms’ nucleons are bound together;...
03:12Ionization Energy
The amount of energy required to remove the most loosely bound electron from a gaseous atom in its ground state is called its first ionization energy (IE1). The first ionization energy for an element, X, is the energy required to form a cation with 1+ charge: