Experimental setup and preparation for the indirect measurement of ⁸⁸Zr(n,γ) at DICER at LANSCE

A. Stamatopoulos¹, P. Koehler¹, A. Couture¹, B. DiGiovine², A. Matyskin³, V. Mocko³, G. Rusev³, J. Ullmann¹, C. Vermeulen³

1. 1. Physics division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 87545, NM, USA
   
   2. Weapon Stockpile Modernization Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 87545, NM, USA
   
   3. Chemistry division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 87545, NM, USA

The new Device for Indirect Capture Experiments on Radionuclides (DICER) installed at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), explores the possibility of determining neutron capture rates through the analysis of transmission data at the resolved resonance region. DICER and associated radionuclide production at the Isotope Production Facility (IPF), both at LANSCE, have been under development the last few years leading to an exploratory irradiation of a 66 ngr ⁸⁸Zr sample (⁸t1/2=83.4 days). A description of the device and the preparation to perform such a challenging study will be discussed.