A Study of the Elastic Scattering of 2-3 Mev Neutrons in Sulphur and Calcium

Abstract

In the present work an associated particle time-of-flight
spectrometer has been designed and used to study the elastic
scattering of neutrons with energies of 2.99 Mev and 2.18 Mev.

The 2H(d,n)3 He reaction was used as the source of neutrons.
The time of origin of the neutron was determined by detecting the
associated helium particle. Problems related to detecting the
He particles and resolving them from a large number of other
charged particles produced at the same time, have been overcome
by using thin deuterated polyethylene targets. For the production
of neutrons with an energy of 2.18 Mev the neutron yield was
monitored by counting the associated FHe particles. Due to the
incomplete resolution of the 3He particles the neutron yield at an
energy of 2.99 Mev was determined by monitoring the proton yield
from the competing 2H(d,p)3H reaction.

Differential elastic scattering cross-sections were measured
for calcium and sulphur at neutron energies of 2.99 Mev and 2.18
Mev respectively. Measurements were limited to scattering angles
up to 80° for calcium and 100° for sulphur. The measurements
obtained for calcium were compared with the results of Reber and
Brandenburger at an energy of 3.29 Mev and with the results of
Abramson et al at a neutron energy of 2.83 Mev. The results
obtained for sulphur were comparable with the measurements of
Holmqvist and Wiedling for a neutron energy of 2.47 Mev. The
elastic scattering angular distributions were analysed using the
optical model computer code RAROMP.

In addition an associated particle time-of-flight system was
investigated for the 2H(d,n)3 He reaction at the lower incident
deuteron energy of 130 Kev which is more generally available.

Date of Award	1977
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Aston University