Measurements of Prompt Gamma-Ray Emission Probabilities for Determinations of Neutron Capture Cross Sections of Long Life Nuclides

Miyazaki, Itaru*; Shimizu, Toshiaki*; Shibata, Michihiro*; Kawade, Kiyoshi*; Furutaka, Kazuyoshi  ; Nakamura, Shoji  ; Sakane, Hitoshi

Accurate cross section data for the neutron capture of long-lived fission products (LLFP) are needed for developing a nuclear transmutation technology which reduces radioactive wastes by transmuting nuclides that have half-lives of as long as a few million years to other nuclides that have much shorter half-lives. There are some nuclides, whose cross sections cannot be measured in activation method. Utilization of prompt gamma-rays is expected to solve this problem. The aim of present study was twofold: (i) to measure emission probabilities of the high energy gamma-ray, up to 10MeV, emitted fromN(n, gamma)N reaction, which are usually used as standards, in order to improve their accuracies and (ii) to develop a measurement method for neutron capture cross sections by using prompt gamma-rays. Emission probabilities of principal prompt gamma-rays fromN(n, gamma)N reaction were determined with 0.2-0.9% errors. For ten nuclides,Na,Al,55 Mn,Ni,Cu,Pr,W, andcapture cross sections were measured by using prompt gamma-rays and gamma-rays following b-decay. By comparing both cross section values, it was found that emission probabilities of prompt gamma-rays reported in the literatures were systematically larger than those inferred from the cross sections that were determined in activation methods. The cross section of aPd (n, gamma)Pd reaction at thermal energy was measured. Considering transmutation of the nuclide, the cross section ofPd(n, gamma), which is an isotope of palladium, is also necessary. A lower limit of the cross section was determined with 6% accuracy. Additionally, a method of estimating an upper limit was examined by noting similarity of nuclear structures to the neighboring nuclides. It was estimated that the observed lower limit of emission probabilities correspond to 79% of the cross section.