Gamma-ray spectrum from thermal neutron capture on gadolinium-157

Hagiwara, Kaito*; Yano, Takatomi*; Das, P. K.*; Lorenz, S.*; Ou, Iwa*; Sakuda, Makoto*; Kimura, Atsushi   ; Nakamura, Shoji  ; Iwamoto, Nobuyuki  ; Harada, Hideo   ; 13 of others*

We have measured the -ray energy spectrum from the thermal neutron capture, , on an enriched Gd target () in the energy range from 0.11 MeV up to about 8 MeV. The target was placed inside the germanium spectrometer of the ANNRI detector at J-PARC and exposed to a neutron beam from the Japan Spallation Neutron Source (JSNS). Radioactive sources (Co, Cs, and Eu) and the reaction were used to determine the spectrometer's detection efficiency for rays at energies from 0.3 to 8.5 MeV. Using a Geant4-based Monte Carlo simulation of the detector and based on our data, we have developed a model to describe the -ray spectrum from the thermal reaction. While we include the strength information of 15 prominent peaks above 5 MeV and associated peaks below 1.6 MeV from our data directly into the model, we rely on the theoretical inputs of nuclear level density and the photon strength function of Gd to describe the continuum -ray spectrum from the reaction. The results of the comparison between the observed -ray spectra from the reaction and the model are reported in detail.