Experimental setup and procedure for the measurement of the ⁷Be(n,α)α reaction at n-TOF

Author(s)

L. Cosentino, A. Musumarra, M. Barbagallo, A. Pappalardo, N. Colonna, L. Damone, M. Piscopo, P. Finocchiaro, E. Maugeri, S. Heinitz, D. Schumann, R. Dressler, N. Kivel, O. Aberle, J. Andrzejewski, L. Audouin, M. Ayranov, M. Bacak, S. Barros, J. Balibrea-Correa, V. Becares, F. Becvar, C. Beinrucker, E. Berthoumieux, J. Billowes, D. Bosnar, M. Brugger, M. Caamano, M. Calviani, F. Calvino, D. Cano-Ott, R. Cardella, A. Casanovas, D. M. Castelluccio, F. Cerutti, Y. H. Chen, E. Chiaveri, G. Cortes, M. A. Cortes-Giraldo, M. Diakaki, C. Domingo-Pardo, E. Dupont, I. Duran, B. Fernandez-Dominguez, A. Ferrari, P. Ferreira, W. Furman, S. Ganesan, A. Garcia-Rios, A. Gawlik, I. Gheorghe, T. Glodariu, K. Goebel, I. F. Goncalves, E. Gonzalez-Romero, E. Griesmayer, C. Guerrero, F. Gunsing, H. Harada, T. Heftrich, J. Heyse, D. G. Jenkins, E. Jericho, F. Kaeppeler, T. Katabuchi, P. Kavrigin, A. Kimura, M. Kokkoris, M. Krticka, E. Leal-Cidoncha, J. Lerendegui, C. Lederer, H. Leeb, S. Lo Meo, S. Lonsdale, R. Losito, D. Macina, J. Marganiec, T. Martinez, C. Massimi, P. Mastinu, M. Mastromarco, F. Matteucci, A. Mazzone, E. Mendoza, A. Mengoni, P. M. Milazzo, F. Mingrone, M. Mirea, S. Montesano, R. Nolte, A. Oprea, N. Patronis, A. Pavlik, J. Perkowski, J. Praena, J. Quesada, K. Rajeev, T. Rauscher, R. Reifarth, A. Riego-Perez, P. Rout, C. Rubbia, J. Ryan, M. Sabate-Gilarte, A. Saxena, P. Schillebeeckx, S. Schmidt, P. Sedyshev, A. G. Smith, A. Stamatopoulos, G. Tagliente, J. L. Tain, A. Tarifeno-Saldivia, L. Tassan-Got, A. Tsinganis, S. Valenta, G. Vannini, V. Variale, P. Vaz, A. Ventura, V. Vlachoudis, R. Vlastou, J. Vollaire, A. Wallner, S. Warren, M. Weigand, C. Weiss, C. Wolf, P. J. Woods, T. Wright, P. Zugec

Abstract

The newly built second experimental area EAR2 of the n-TOF spallation neutron source at CERN allows to perform (n, charged particles) experiments on short-lived highly radioactive targets. This paper describes a detection apparatus and the experimental procedure for the determination of the cross-section of the

⁷Be(n,α)α reaction, which represents one of the focal points toward the solution of the cosmological Lithium abundance problem, and whose only measurement, at thermal energy, dates back to 1963. The apparently unsurmountable experimental difficulties stemming from the huge

⁷Be γ-activity, along with the lack of a suitable neutron beam facility, had so far prevented further measurements. The detection system is subject to considerable radiation damage, but is capable of disentangling the rare reaction signals from the very high background. This newly developed setup could likely be useful also to study other challenging reactions requiring the detectors to be installed directly in the neutron beam.

Organisation(s)

Isotope Physics

External organisation(s)

Università degli Studi di Catania, York University, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Roma, Paul Scherrer Institute, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), University of Lodz, European Commission, Technische Universität Wien, Universidade de Lisboa, Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas Medioambientales y Tecnológica, Charles University Prague, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), University of Manchester, University of Zagreb, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Universidad de Sevilla, Instituto de Física Corpuscular (IFIC), Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Horia Hulubei National Institute for R&D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Commiss European Communities, Joint Res Ctr, Inst Reference Mat & Measurements, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Tokyo Institute of Technology (TIT), National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), University of Edinburgh, University of Bologna, Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati-Traverso", CNR, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, University of Ioannina, Universidad de Granada, University of Hertfordshire, Universität Basel, Australian National University, University of York, Université Paris-Saclay, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Sezione di Bari

Journal

Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section A. Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment

Volume

830

Pages

197-205

No. of pages

9

ISSN

0168-9002

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2016.05.089

Publication date

09-2016

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

103014 Nuclear physics

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Nuclear and High Energy Physics, Instrumentation

Portal url

https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/experimental-setup-and-procedure-for-the-measurement-of-the-7ben-reaction-at-ntof(10b659fa-5d28-48e0-8528-ea60f95a4b83).html