Producing and Moderating Neutrons for Radioactive Nuclei Neutron Captures

POSTER

Abstract

Neutron captures by radioactive nuclei are an important mechanism for the stellar production of heavier isotopes. This project works towards replicating such reactions in a laboratory setting through a test setup which produces neutrons inside a cube of graphite moderator. Gold wires are used to detect where neutrons would hit a radioactive ion beam. From four runs with different energy proton beams producing neutrons and different moderator arrangements we found that yield increases with proton beam energy and decreases when only half the moderator cube is used. Combined with future work comparing these results to simulations these results allow continued development of a full apparatus for replicating radioactive nuclei neutron captures.

*This research was supported by the National Science Foundation through Grant No. PHY-2011890 (University of Notre Dame Nuclear Science Laboratory) and by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program of Los Alamos National Laboratory under project number XXYV.

Presenters

  • Isaac J Bos

    • Calvin University

Authors

  • Isaac J Bos

    • Calvin University

  • Olivia R Cantrell

    • New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

  • Andrew L Cooper

    • Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)

  • Aaron J Couture

    • Los Alamos National Laboratory
    • Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)

  • Richard J deBoer

    • University of Notre Dame

  • Caroline Harrington

    • The Air Force Institute of Technology

  • Khachatur Manukyan

    • University of Notre Dame

  • Miriam Matney

    • University of Notre Dame

  • Rene Reifarth

    • Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)

  • Daniel J Robertson

    • University of Notre Dame

  • Edward Stech

    • University of Notre Dame