Speaker
Description
Knowledge of experimental activation cross sections is important for creation and evaluation
of evaluated libraries (TENDL) used by various programs for design accelerators, their
components, reactors, but also for nuclear structure study. The proton and deuteron activation
cross sections have been studied at NPI CAS (Nuclear Physics Institute) for many years at
variable energy cyclotron U120M. Deuteron energy is limited to 20 MeV. For this reason we
took advantage of the opportunity to extend this research to the new facility SPIRAL2/NFS
(Neutrons For Science) constructed at GANIL/SPIRAL2 in France. Charge-particle
irradiation chamber was developed and constructed at NPI CAS. The chamber is equipped
with a pneumatic transfer system that allows measurement of activated isotopes with halflives
in minute region. The first test with protons was made at the end of 2019.
The proton induced reaction cross sections on iron were investigated by stacked-foil
activation technique with initial proton beam of energy 20 MeV from the cyclotron U-120M
of the NPI CAS, Řež and the measurements confirmed the data of previous authors. We
determined production cross sections for 58m Co a 58g Co for the first time. We also determined
the production cross sections for 51 Mn which were incorrectly ascribed to 51 Cr. The
investigation will continue for higher proton energy interval up to 33 MeV at SPIRAL2/ NFS
with the equipment allowing measurement of products with halflives in minute region (e.g.
54m Co, 53m Fe) and using isotopically enriched targets.
