Measurement of the neutron spectrum of a Pu-C source with a liquid scintillator

The neutron response function for a BC501A liquid scintillator （LS） has been measured using a series of monoenergetic neutrons produced by the p-T reaction. The proton energies were chosen such as to produce neutrons in the energy range of 1 to 20 MeV. The principles of the technique of unfolding a neutron energy spectrum by using the measured neutron response function and the measured Pulse Height （PH） spectrum is briefly described. The PH spectrum of neutrons from the Pu-C source, which will be used for the calibration of the reactor antineutrino detectors for the Daya Bay neutrino experiment, was measured and analyzed to get the neutron energy spectrum. Simultaneously the neutron energy spectrum of an Am-Be source was measured and compared with other measurements as a check of the result for the Pu-C source. Finally, an error analysis and a discussion of the results are given.     

Study of neutron spectra in a water bath from a Pb target irradiated by 250 MeV protons

Spallation neutrons were produced by the irradiation of Pb with 250 MeV protons. The Pb target was surrounded by water which was used to slow down the emitted neutrons. The moderated neutrons in the water bath were measured by using the resonance detectors of Au, Mn and In with a cadmium (Cd) cover. According to the measured activities of the foils, the neutron flux at different resonance energies were deduced and the epithermal neutron spectra were proposed. Corresponding results calculated with the Monte Carlo code MCNPX were compared with the experimental data to check the validity of the code. The comparison showed that the simulation could give a good prediction for the neutron spectra above 50 eV, while the finite thickness of the foils greatly effected the experimental data in low energy. It was also found that the resonance detectors themselves had great impact on the simulated energy spectra.     

Improved measurement of the reactor antineutrino flux and spectrum at Daya Bay

A new measurement of the reactor antineutrino flux and energy spectrum by the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment is reported. The antineutrinos were generated by six 2.9 GWth nuclear reactors and detected by eight antineutrino detectors deployed in two near(560 m and 600 m flux-weighted baselines) and one far(1640 m flux-weighted baseline) underground experimental halls. With 621 days of data, more than 1.2 million inverse beta decay(IBD) candidates were detected. The IBD yield in the eight detectors was measured, and the ratio of measured to predicted flux was found to be 0.946±0.020(0.992±0.021) for the Huber+Mueller(ILL+Vogel) model. A 2.9σ deviation was found in the measured IBD positron energy spectrum compared to the predictions. In particular, an excess of events in the region of 4–6 MeV was found in the measured spectrum, with a local significance of 4.4σ. A reactor antineutrino spectrum weighted by the IBD cross section is extracted for model-independent predictions.     

Etch Induction Time in CR-39 Detectors Etched in Na2CO3 Mixed NaOH Solution

Six different solutions of 6M NaOH, containing different amounts of Na2CO3 at 70℃ were used for the revelation of latent damage trails in CR-39 plastic track detectors. These detectors were earlier exposed to fission fragments from ^252 Cf source for 30 min in vacuum and were then etched in the respective solutions for different etching time intervals of 5-20 min starting from 5min up to 160min. The etch induction time in each detector was obtained by extrapolating the intersection of resulting curves of track lengths and track diameters with the time axis.     

Fission studies of gold induced by (1665 MeV) π- using a CR-39 detector

The fission cross section and fission probability of ¹⁹⁷Au, induced by (1665 MeV) π^-, have been studied using CR-39 track detectors. A 4π-geometry was used to count track statistics. A beam of negative pions of 1665 MeV was produced at AGS of Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA, and allowed to fall normally on the stack. Two detectors from the stack were scanned for fission fragment tracks after etching in 6N NaOH at 70℃. The statistics of fission fragment tracks in both detectors were obtained. It was found that there was a marked asymmetry of registered tracks with respect to the forward and backward hemispheres. This asymmetry could be partly accounted for on the basis of momentum transfer to the struck nucleus. On the basis of counting statistics fission cross section was measured, and fission probability was determined by dividing the fission cross section with the reaction cross section. The fission cross-section and fission probability were compared with the computed values using the cascade-exciton model code CEM95.     

A large-area GEM detector using a novel self-stretching technique

A Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detector with an effective area of 300 mm×300 mm has been constructed using a novel self-stretching technique, which allows a highly flexible and efficient GEM detector assembly free of glue or spacers. This makes the re-opening and repair of the GEM detectors possible and significantly reduces the scrap rate in the mass production of large-area GEM detectors. With the technique, the assembly time can be limited to a few hours, a factor of ten improvement compared to that using gluing techniques. The details of design and assembly procedure of the 300 mm×300 mm GEM detector are described in this paper. This detector was tested with 8 keV X-rays for the effective gain, energy resolution and performance uniformity. The results show that the typical energy resolution is 20% at an effective gain of about 10^4, with fairly good uniformity.     

Preparation of Metallic Isotope ^26Mg

Some special isotope material is usually used in nuclear experiments. It can be served as ion beam or target. When new superheavy nuclide ^265Bh (Z=107) is synthesized, a reaction of ^243Am target with ^26Mg ion beamis selected to produce new isotope ^265Bh. The preparation and production of this rare and extremely expensive isotope ^26 Mg used for ion beam substance will be a key problem in synthesizing experiment of 265Bh. Theavailable chemical form of isotope ^26Mg in commercial product usually is oxide or other compound, which are not required in our experiment. They need to be transformed to metal form as a proper working substance in ion source.     

Response of Alanine Dosemeter to Heavy Ions

The amino acid L-α-alanine has been investigated for use as a radiation detector in low and high LET radiation fields[1]. The radiatioa detector is cheap and easy to handle. The radiation inducing free radicals are stable at normal laboratory conditions for doses below 10^4 Gy over a long period of time, which makes the detector useful for intercomparison and documentation purposes. The dosimetric features of alanine-based electron spin resonance (ESR) detectors in high energy electron beams used in radiotherapy were considered[2]. The 5 mm long alanine detectors were found to be the most suitable for carrying out in vivo dosimetry on patients undergoing electron beam radiotherapy. However, data concerning dosimetry of the alanine dosemeter to heavy charged particles are lacking, especially in China.     

Measurement of neutron cross sections and resonance parameters of ^169Tm below 100 eV

The neutron total cross-sections of thulium （^169Tm） were measured in the neutron energy region from 0.01 eV to 100 eV by using the time-of-flight method at the Pohang Neutron Facility, which consists of an electron linac, a water-cooled tantalum target with a water moderator, and a 12 m time of flight path, Two thulium plates with different thicknesses were used for the neutron transmission measurement. The background level was determined by using a notch-filter of Co, In, and Cd sheets. The present measurement was compared with the previous ones, and a new set of resonance parameters of ^169Tm isotope was obtained from the transmission rate by using the SAMMY code, with a comparison with the recommended parameters by Mughabghab.     

Energy spectrum of multi-radiation of X-rays in a low energy Mather-type plasma focus device

The multi-radiation of X-rays was investigated with special attention to their energy spectrum in a Mather-type plasma focus device （operated with argon gas）. The analysis is based on the effect of anomalous resistances. To study the energy spectrum, a four-channel diode X-ray spectrometer was used along with a special set of filters. The filters were suitable for detection of medium range X-rays as well as hard X-rays with energy exceeding 30 keV. The results indicate that the anomalous resistivity effect during the post pinch phase may cause multi-radiation of X-rays with a total duration of 300 ± 50 ns. The significant contribution of Cu-Kα was due to the medium range X-rays, nonetheless, hard X-rays with energies greater than 15 keV also participate in the process. The total emitted X-ray energy in the forms of Cu-K and Cu-K/3 was around 0.14 ± 0.02 （J/Sr） and 0.04 ±0.01 （J/Sr）, respectively. The total energy of the emitted hard X-ray （〉 15 keV） was around 0.12± 0.02 （J/Sr）.     

Experimental study on scintillation efficiency of ZnO:In to proton response

Film ZnO:In crystal is a good candidate for a scintillation recoil proton neutron detection system and the response of ZnO:In to protons is a crucial point. The energy response of ZnO:In to mono-energetic protons in the range of 10 keV-8 MeV was measured. The experiment was carried out in current mode, and Au foil scattering was employed, where the forward scattering protons were used for exciting the sample, and the backward scattering protons were used for monitoring the beam intensity. According to the result, the yield of light non-linearly depends on proton energy, and drops significantly when proton energy is low. The scintillation efficiency as a function of proton energy was obtained, which is very useful for researching the scintillation recoil proton neutron detection system.     

An Implantation and Detection System for Spectroscopy of 22,24Si

A new decay detection system with high detection efficiency and low detection threshold has been developed for charged-particle decay studies, including -delayed proton, decay or direct proton emission from proton-rich nuclei. The detection system was tested by using the -delayed proton emitter 24Si and was commissioned in the decay study of 22Si produced by projectile fragmentation at the First Radioactive Ion Beam Line in Lanzhou. Under a continuous-beam mode, the isotopes of interest were implanted into two double-sided silicon strip detectors, where the subsequent decays were measured and correlated to the preceding implantations by using position and time information. The system allows to measure protons with energies down to about 200 keV without obvious background in the proton spectrum. Further application of the detection system can be extended to the measurements of -delayed proton decay and the direct proton emission of other exotic proton-rich nuclei.     

Study on gamma response function of E J301 organic liquid scintillator with GEANT4 and FLUKA

The gamma response function is required for energy calibration of EJ301 （5 cm in diameter and 20 cm in height） organic liquid scintillator detector by means of gamma sources. The GEANT4 and FLUKA Monte Carlo simulation packages were used to simulate the response function of the detector for standard 22Na, 60Co, 137Cs gamma sources. The simulated results showed a good agreement with experimental data by incorporating the energy resolution function to simulation codes. The energy resolution and the position of the maximum Compton electron energy were obtained by comparing measured light output distribution with simulated one. The energy resolution of the detector varied from 21.2% to 12.4% for electrons in the energy region from 0.341 MeV to 1.12 MeV. The accurate position of the maximum Compton electron energy was determined at the position 81% of maximum height of Compton edges distribution. In addition, the relation of the electron energy calibration and the effective neutron detection thresholds were described in detail. The present results indicated that both packages were suited for studying the gamma response function of EJ301 detector.     

Upgrade of RIBLL

The synthesis of the super-heavy nuclei and the study of their properties attract more and more attentions in recent years. The He-jet MG wheel technique with which ^259Db and ^265Bh were synthesized at IMP has reached its limits due to the short life-time and rare amount of the products. In order to identify the nuclei with higher Z, a device for separating the interested nuclei from the heavy background is definitely needed.     

Lifetimes of Excited Levels in ^131Ce

The fusion-evaporation reaction ^116Sn (^19F, p3n)^131 Ce at projectile energy of 95 MeV is used to populate high spin states in ^131Ce. The de-exciting γ-rays are detected in γ-γ coincidence measurement with Compton-suppressed BGO-HPGe detectors. Level lifetimes of ^131 Ce were determined by using the Doppler shift attenuation method.The experimental results indicate that collectivity of ^131 Ce is reduced relative to that of ^130Ce and it follows that deformation decreases with increase of the neutron number on the basis of systematic comparison of transition quadrupole moments for the light cerium isotopes.     

Energy storage and heat deposition in Cr,Yb,Er co-doped phosphate glass

Energy storage and heat deposition in Cr,Yb,Er co-doped phosphate glass were reported. A model based on rate equations was used to determine the energy storage from the free-oscillating output energy characteristics. The heat deposition was calculated by measuring the temperature rise of the glass rod. The results provided important information for the glass operating in Q-switched mode, and also for calculating the temperature profiles and cooling requirements of the glass under single shot and repetitive pulsed conditions.     

Inter-relationship of Various Results in Analysis of （14.0 MeV／U） Pb＋Pb Reaction Using Mica and CN-85 Track Detectors

Two detector materials mica and cellulose-nitrate(CN)-85 have been used to study (14.0MeV/u) Pb Pb reaction. Events of different multiplicities were registered in mica and CN-85 detectors using the 2π-geometry technique of solid state nuclear track detection. After removing the target material from the detectors the damaged trails in the detectors were revealed as tracks by proper chemical etching. The irradiated area of each sample was scanned and events of different multiplicities were traced. The binary events were bifurcated into elastic and inelastic events. The elastic binary events and three prong events, observed in the reaction, have been used to search out coefficients Cμv in the presence of both the detectors, for the reaction under study. Using these coefficients 3- and 4-prong events have been analysed. From the detailed analysis of the results of (14.0MeV/u) Pb Pb reaction, obtained from mica and CN-85 track detectors we observed a great resemblance of results obtained from the two detectors. Combining the results of both the detectors, we report some important outcomes.     

Study of the PIN detector's radiation tolerance

PIN detectors have been extensively used to detect charged particles and X-ray. The new type PIN detectors were irradiated by different energy protons, and their irradiation tolerance was investigated. Relative charge collection efficiency, energy spectrometer and relative energy resolution were also measured. With the increasing of irradiation dose, charge collection efficiency decreased and relative energy resolution grown. The results suggested that the irradiation tolerance in the PIN detector depended on the range of the protons in the detector. The maximum tolerance irradiation doses of the detector for the impacts of 3.5 and 7.2 MeV protons were 3×10¹⁰p/cm² and 7.2×10⁹p/cm², respectively.     

X-ray Emission Induced by Interaction of Highly Charged Ions with Solid Surface

The X-rays with energy from 1 keV to 60 keV in the interaction of highly charged ions (HCI) with a variety of solid surfaces were investigated at the research platform for atomic physics with the electron cyclone resonance (ECR) ion resource at IMP. We altered the projectile kinetic energy from 150 keV to about 400 keV. The X-ray excited by the projectile with the surface is shown in Fig.l, and a threshold of the projectile kinetic energy for this excitation is observed. Combining the colliding theory of classic electrodynamics with the concept of quantized orbits, we crudely give this threshold energy Tm as follows,     

New levels and transitions in ^72Ge following thedecay of ^72Ga

The decay of ^72Ga has been investigated by means of γ-ray spectroscopy. The 72Ga nuclei were produced through the ^71Ga(n, γ)^72Ga reaction. The Compton-suppressed spectrometer and high-purity Ge detectors have been used singly and in coincidence, separately, to study γ-rays in the β-decay of ^72Ga to ^72Ge. Ninety-three events of γ-rays were reported, of which 7 were observed for the first time. A decay scheme of ^72Ga including 4 new levels is proposed which accommodates 87 of these transitions. Spins and parities for new levels are proposed from calculated logft values, modes on the observed decay, and some nuclear reaction experimental results.