Abstract
The measurement of the capture cross-section of fissile elements, of utmost importance for the design of innovative nuclear reactors and the management of nuclear waste, faces particular difficulties related to the \( \gamma\) -ray background generated in the competing fission reactions. At the CERN neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF we have combined the Total Absorption Calorimeter (TAC) capture detector with a set of three 235U loaded MicroMegas (MGAS) fission detectors for measuring simultaneously two reactions: capture and fission. The results presented here include the determination of the three detection efficiencies involved in the process: \(\ensuremath \varepsilon_{TAC}(n,f)\) , \(\ensuremath \varepsilon_{TAC}(n,\gamma)\) and \(\ensuremath \varepsilon_{MGAS}(n,f)\) . In the test measurement we have succeeded in measuring simultaneously with a high total efficiency the 235U capture and fission cross-sections, disentangling accurately the two types of reactions. The work presented here proves that accurate capture cross-section measurements of fissile isotopes are feasible at n_TOF.
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Guerrero, C., Berthoumieux, E., Cano-Ott, D. et al. Simultaneous measurement of neutron-induced capture and fission reactions at CERN. Eur. Phys. J. A 48, 29 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2012-12029-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2012-12029-2