Speaker
Description
In this work, the cross sections of the nuclear reactions $^{13}$C(n, γ)$^{14}$C and $^{14}$N(n, p)$^{14}$C are experimentally measured using the accelerators mass spectrometry (AMS) technique. To carry out this experiment we use the thermal neutron flux produced by the TRIGA Mark III nuclear reactor located at the National Institute of Nuclear Research (ININ) in Mexico. The concentration of $^{14}$C with respect to that of $^{12}$C in materials before and after neutron irradiation was determined in the Laboratory of Accelerators Mass Spectrometry (LEMA) of the Institute of Physics of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). From the measurements of the relative $^{14}$C/$^{12}$C concentration it was possible to determine the corresponding cross sections. This work establishes an experimental protocol for the measurement of cross sections of neutron induced nuclear reactions at thermal energies. The results obtained for the $^{14}$N(n, p)$^{14}$C reaction are in good agreement with the values previously reported by other authors. On the other hand, for the $^{13}$C(n, γ)$^{14}$C reaction, the obtained values differ from those previously reported, which impels us to continue studying this reaction.
