Measurement of the Li8 half-life

We report a new measurement of the Li8 half-life using a plastic scintillator and an ultrafast waveform digitizing module. The result, T1/2=(838.40±0.36)ms, improves by a factor of 2.5 the most precise result obtained so far and is furthermore deduced with negligible corrections due to dead time.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación FPA2008-0468

New prompt fission neutron spectra measurements in the 238U(n,f) reaction with a dedicated setup at LANSCE/WNR

A new prompt fission neutron spectra (PFNS) measurement in the 238U(n,f) reaction was performed at LANSCE/WNR facility. Evaluated data show discrepancies on the low (below 1 MeV) and high (above 5 MeV) energy parts in the PFNS for different major and minor actinides. The goal is to improve these measurements in a wide range of incident energy. The energy of the incoming neutron, inducing the fission, and the prompt neutron energies, are measured by time-of-flight method. A dedicated fission chamber was developed, in order to improve alpha-fission discrimination, timing resolution, actinide mass, and to reduce the amount of neutron scattering. To detect prompt neutrons, the 54 Chi-Nu scintillator cells array were surrounding the fission chamber. High statistics were recorded during this experiment, allowing a precise study of PFNS behavior as a function of incident neutron energy, from 1 MeV to 200 MeV. This experiment also showed that all the new tools developed to improve PFNS measurements are performing. Therefore, measurements of PFNS with others actinides such as 239Pu are planned

First Results on 238U(n,f) Prompt Fission Neutron Spectra from 1 to 200 MeV incident neutron energy

A new 238U(n,f) prompt fission neutron spectra (PFNS) measurement has been recently performed at the WNR facility of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The measurement allows one to explore the dependence of the prompt fission neutron energy spectra on the incident neutron energy. The experimental setup couples the Chi-Nu scintillator array to a newly developed fission chamber, characterized by an improved alphafission discrimination and time resolution, a reduced amount of matter in the neutron beam and a higher actinide mass. The dedicated setup and the high statistics collected allow us to obtain a good precision on the measured fission neutron energy, as well as to explore the low energy region, down to 650keV, and the high energy region, above 5 MeV, of the emitted neutron spectrum. These are indeed the regions where discrepancies in the evaluated PFNS data are found. We present here the first preliminary results of the experiment

First Results on

A new 238U(n,f) prompt fission neutron spectra (PFNS) measurement has been recently performed at the WNR facility of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The measurement allows one to explore the dependence of the prompt fission neutron energy spectra on the incident neutron energy. The experimental setup couples the Chi-Nu scintillator array to a newly developed fission chamber, characterized by an improved alphafission discrimination and time resolution, a reduced amount of matter in the neutron beam and a higher actinide mass. The dedicated setup and the high statistics collected allow us to obtain a good precision on the measured fission neutron energy, as well as to explore the low energy region, down to 650keV, and the high energy region, above 5 MeV, of the emitted neutron spectrum. These are indeed the regions where discrepancies in the evaluated PFNS data are found. We present here the first preliminary results of the experiment

New prompt fission neutron spectra measurements in the 238^{238}U(n,f) reaction with a dedicated setup at LANSCE/WNR

International audienceA new prompt fission neutron spectra (PFNS) measurement in the 238U(n,f) reaction was performed at LANSCE/WNR facility. Evaluated data show discrepancies on the low (below 1 MeV) and high (above 5 MeV) energy parts in the PFNS for different major and minor actinides. The goal is to improve these measurements in a wide range of incident energy. The energy of the incoming neutron, inducing the fission, and the prompt neutron energies, are measured by time-of-flight method. A dedicated fission chamber was developed, in order to improve alpha-fission discrimination, timing resolution, actinide mass, and to reduce the amount of neutron scattering. To detect prompt neutrons, the 54 Chi-Nu scintillator cells array were surrounding the fission chamber. High statistics were recorded during this experiment, allowing a precise study of PFNS behavior as a function of incident neutron energy, from 1 MeV to 200 MeV. This experiment also showed that all the new tools developed to improve PFNS measurements are performing. Therefore, measurements of PFNS with others actinides such as 239Pu are planned

Prompt fission neutron in the 239^{239} Pu(n,f) reaction and its energy dependence

Accurate multiplicities of prompt fission neutrons emitted in neutron-induced fission on a large energy range are essential for fundamental and applied nuclear physics. Measuring them to high precision for radioactive fissioning nuclides is, however, an experimental challenge. In this work, we extract the average prompt-neutron multiplicity emitted in the $^{239}$Pu (n, f) reaction as a function of the incident-neutron energy, over the range 0.7-700 MeV. We used a novel technique, which allowed us to minimize and correct for the main sources of bias and thus achieve unprecedented precision. At low energies, our data validate, for the first time, the ENDF/B-VIII.0 nuclear data evaluation with an independent measurement and reduce the evaluated uncertainty by up to 60%. This work opens up the possibility of measuring, with high precision, prompt fission neutron multiplicities on highly radioactive nuclei relevant for energy production

Clusterization and Strong Coulpled-Channels Effects in Deuteron Interaction with 9Be Nuclei

Angular distributions of protons, deuterons, tritons and alphaparticles emitted in the d + 9Be reaction at Elab=19.5 and 35.0 MeV have been measured. The elastic scattering channel is analysed in the framework of both the Optical Model and the Coupled-Channel approach. The interaction potential of the d + 9Be system is calculated in the framework of the Double-Folding model using the α + α + n three-body wave function of the 9Be nucleus. The (d, p) and (d, t) one-nucleon-transfer reactions are analysed within the coupledreaction-channel approach. The spectroscopic amplitudes for the different nuclear cluster configurations are calculated. Differential cross sections for the reaction channel 9Be(d, α) 7Li are calculated including all possible reaction mechanisms within the coupled-reaction-channel method. Corresponding contributions to the cross sections are analysed.peerReviewe