Measuring neutron-induced fission cross-section of shortlived actinides using a lead neutron-slowing-down spectrometer

摘要

The "lead-slowing-down-spectrometer" method is an established technique for measuring neutron-induced reaction cross-sections. It is known to provide high neutron fluences below 100 keV. In this work, the possibility of applying this method to the measurement of the neutron-induced fission cross-section of shortlived actinides and in particular of the 77 eV isomer of ~(235)U is investigated. Numerical simulations and a test-experiment using a photovaltaic cell fission detector demonstrate the feasibility of such a measurement at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center using 800 MeV proton-induced spallation to provide source neutrons.