CALCULATED NEUTRON-ACTIVATION CROSS SECTIONS FOR En ≤ 100 MeV FOR A RANGE OF ACCELERATOR MATERIALS


M. Bozoian, E.D. Arthur, R.T. Perry, W.B. Wilson and P.G. Young

Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA 87545

Activation problems associated with particle accelerators are commonly dominated by reactions of secondary neutrons produced in reactions of beam particles with accelerator or beam stop materials. Measured values of neutron-activation cross sections above a few Mev are sparse. Calculations with the GNASH code have been made for neutrons incident on all stable nuclides of a range of elements common to accelerator materials. These elements include B, C, N, O, Ne, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Ar, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Zr, Mo, Nd and Sm. Calculations were made for a grid of incident neutron energies extending to 100 MeV. Cross sections leading to the direct production of as many as 87 activation products for each of 84 target nuclide were tabulated on this grid of neutron energies, each beginning with the threshold for the product nuclide's formation. Multigrouped values of these cross sections have been calculated and are being integrated into the cross-section library of the REAC-2 neutron activation code. Illustrative cross sections are presented.

KEYWORDS: medium-energy neutrons, neutron activation, accelerators