Two-step nuclear reactions: The Surrogate Method, the Trojan Horse Method and their common foundations

In this Letter I argue that the Surrogate Method, used to extract the fast neutron capture cross section on actinide target nuclei, which has important practical application for the next generation of breeder reactors, and the Trojan Horse Method employed to extract reactions of importance to nuclear astrophysics, have a common foundation, the Inclusive Non-Elastic Breakup (INEB)Theory. Whereas the Surrogate Method relies on the premise that the extracted neutron cross section in a (d,p) reaction is predominantly a compound nucleus one, the Trojan Horse Method, assumes a predominantly direct process for the secondary reaction induced by the surrogate fragment. In general, both methods contain both direct and compound contributions, and I show how theses seemingly distinct methods are in fact the same but at different energies and different kinematic regions. The unifying theory is the rather well developed INEB theory.Comment: 3 pages. Accepted for publication in the European Physical Journal A (2017

Dipole-dipole dispersion interactions between neutrons

We investigate the long-range interactions between two neutrons utilizing recent data on the neutron static and dynamic electric and magnetic dipole polarizabilities. The resulting long-range potentials are used to make quantitative comparisons between the collisions of a neutron with a neutron and a neutron with a proton. We also assess the importance of the first pion production threshold and first excited state of the nucleon, the $\Delta$-resonance ($J^{\pi}$ = + 3/2, I = 3/2). We found both dynamical effects to be quite relevant for distances r between ~ 50 fm up to ~$10^3$ fm in the nn system, the neutron-wall system and in the wall-neutron-wall system, reaching the expected asymptotic limit beyond that. Relevance of our findings to the confinement of ultra cold neutrons inside bottles is discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures, Version to be published in the European Physical Journal A (2017

Coulomb and nuclear effects in breakup and reaction cross sections

We use a three-body Continuum Discretized Coupled Channel (CDCC) model to investigate Coulomb and nuclear effects in breakup and reaction cross sections. The breakup of the projectile is simulated by a finite number of square integrable wave functions. First we show that the scattering matrices can be split in a nuclear term, and in a Coulomb term. This decomposition is based on the Lippmann-Schwinger equation, and requires the scattering wave functions. We present two different methods to separate both effects. Then, we apply this separation to breakup and reaction cross sections of 7Li + 208Pb. For breakup, we investigate various aspects, such as the role of the alpha + t continuum, the angular-momentum distribution, and the balance between Coulomb and nuclear effects. We show that there is a large ambiguity in defining the 'Coulomb' and 'nuclear' breakup cross sections, since both techniques, although providing the same total breakup cross sections, strongly differ for the individual components. We suggest a third method which could be efficiently used to address convergence problems at large angular momentum. For reaction cross sections, interference effects are smaller, and the nuclear contribution is dominant above the Coulomb barrier. We also draw attention on different definitions of the reaction cross section which exist in the literature, and which may induce small, but significant, differences in the numerical values.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figure

Statistical Theory of Breakup Reactions

We propose alternatives to coupled-channels calculations with loosely-bound exotic nuclei (CDCC), based on the the random matrix (RMT) and the optical background (OPM) models for the statistical theory of nuclear reactions. The coupled channels equations are divided into two sets. The first set, described by the CDCC, and the other set treated with RMT. The resulting theory is a Statistical CDCC (CDCC$_S$), able in principle to take into account many pseudo channels.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures. Contribution to: "4th International Workshop on Compound-Nuclear Reactions and Related Topics (CNR*13)", October 7-11, 2013, Maresias, Brazi

ENERGIA NUCLEAR

In this article we will address some important considerations on the use of nuclear energy. We will answers of general interest to the public, such as: What is nuclear energy? Why do reactors use uranium as fuel? How can we assess the safety in nuclear plants when there are seismic events? What is the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency?Abordamos neste artigo algumas considerações importantessobre o uso da energia nuclear. Respondemos questões de interesse para o público como: o que é energia nuclear; que usar urânio como combustível nos reatores; como avaliar a segurança da usinas no caso de abalos sísmicos; e qual função da Agência Internacional de Energia Atômica

Weak nonmesonic decay spectra of hypernuclei

We compute one- and two-nucleon kinetic-energy spectra and opening-angle distributions for the nonmesonic weak decay of several hypernuclei, and compare our results with some recent data. The decaymics is described by transition potentials of the one-meson-exchange type, and the nuclear structure aspects by two versions of the independent-particle shell model (IPSM). In version IPSM-a, the hole states are treated as stationary, while in version IPSM-b the deep hole states are considered to be quasi-stationary and are described by Breit-Wigner distributions.Comment: 3 pages 2 figures. To be published in Nucl. Phys. A; Contribution to the NN2009 International Conference, Beijing, China, August 200

Semi-classical scattering in two dimensions

The semi-classical limit of quantum-mechanical scattering in two dimensions (2D) is developed. We derive the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin and Eikonal results for 2D scattering. No backward or forward glory scattering is present in 2D. Other phenomena, such as rainbow or orbiting do show up.Comment: 6 page