Speaker
Description
Past measurements have suggested that 88Zr(n,γ)89Zr may exhibit an anomalously large thermal neutron absorption cross section, with reported values far exceeding prior expectations and placing it among the largest known thermal capture cross sections for long-lived nuclides. As a neutron-deficient, radioactive isotope that is neither naturally abundant nor a common fission product, 88Zr occupies a region of the chart of nuclides with limited experimental constraints, making direct capture measurements particularly significant for both nuclear stockpile stewardship and medical isotope applications.
To investigate the capture behavior of 88Zr, prompt gamma-ray spectroscopy measurements were performed using the FIPPS spectrometer at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL). The experiment focused on identifying prompt γ-ray cascades following neutron capture and establishing the first direct prompt-gamma spectroscopic signatures associated with 88Zr(n,γ). Analysis of the FIPPS campaign data has revealed previously unobserved transitions and new cascade pathways in 89Zr, providing important constraints on the capture mechanism and level scheme.
This work presents the first prompt-gamma results from the FIPPS 88Zr campaign, including newly identified γ transitions and cascade structures, and discusses their implications for resolving discrepancies in reported thermal neutron absorption cross sections and for improving nuclear data evaluations of this isotope.
| Session | Microscopic and Integral Measurements |
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