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C. Guerrero, E. Berthoumieux, D. Cano-Ott, E. Mendoza, E. Jericha, H. Leeb, C. Weiß, -. nTOF Collaboration:
"Simultaneous measurement of neutron-induced capture and fission reactions at CERN";
European Physical Journal A, 48 (2012), 29; 1 - 9.

The measurement of the capture cross-section of fissile elements, of utmost importance for the design of innovative nuclear reactors and the management of nuclear waste, faces particular difficulties related to the γ-ray background generated in the competing fission reactions. At the CERN neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF we have combined the Total Absorption Calorimeter (TAC) capture detector with a set of three ²³⁵U loaded MicroMegas (MGAS) fission detectors for measuring simultaneously two reactions: capture and fission. The results presented here include the determination of the three detection efficiencies involved in the process: ε_TAC(n,f), ε_TAC(n,γ) and ε_MGAS(n,f). In the test measurement we have succeeded in measuring simultaneously with a high total efficiency the ²³⁵U capture and fission cross-sections, disentangling accurately the two types of reactions. The work presented here proves that accurate capture cross-section measurements of fissile isotopes are feasible at n_TOF.

neutron capture cross-section, neutron fission cross-section, total absorption calorimeter, MicroMegas, n_TOF, innovative nuclear reactors, transmutation of nuclear waste

http://dx.doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2012-12029-2