Defect recovery behavior of neutron irradiated molybdenum and tungsten of two purity levels

Abstract

The recovery behavior of radiation-induced defects during post-irradiation annealing was studied on molybdenum and tungsten specimens of two different purity levels. An electrical resistivity measurement technique at liquid nitrogen boiling temperature (～77°K) was used. Irradiation of both materials was conducted in Oak Ridge Research reactor at reactor ambient temperature (～70°C). The accumulative neutron fluence received was 7.3E+19 neutrons cm^?2 (E_n>l MeV) and 5.1E+20 neutrons cm^?2 (thermal). It was found that the number of recovery stages appeared to be independent of either the material or the impurity content. The stages are then believed to be due to the recovery of intrinsic defects and the recovery mechanisms are most likely the same for molybdenum and tungsten on the homologous temperature scale.     

Possibility of mechanically stimulated transmutation of carbon nuclei in ultradisperse deuterium-containing media

The variation of the concentration of ¹⁴C in graphite subjected to vibratory milling in the presence of heavy (or light) water is investigated using methods of radiocarbon β-spectral analysis. It is discovered that the C+D₂O system exhibits a statistically significant increase in the β counting rate in comparison to the C+H₂O system milled under similar conditions. A quantitative model of the transmutation of the ¹³C isotope into the ¹⁴C isotope involving an interaction of multiphonon excitations with deuterons in the graphite crystal lattice in the presence of background thermal neutrons is proposed. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 100–107 (June 1997)     

Studies of parity and time reversal symmetries in neutron scattering from165Ho

We describe searches for parity and time reversal violations in the scattering of polarized neutrons from polarized and aligned¹⁶⁵Ho targets. We have completed a search with 7.1 and 11.0 MeV neutrons for P_oddT_odd terms in the elastic scattering forward amplitude of the form s. (I×K), wheres is the neutron spin,I is the target spin andk is the neutron momentum vector. The target was a single crystal of holmium, polarized horizontally along itsb axis by a 1 Tesla magnetic field. The neutrons were polarized vertically. Differences in the neutron transmission were measured for neutrons with spins parallel (antiparallel) toI×k. The P,T violating analyzing powers were found to be consistent with zero at the few 10⁻³ level: ρ_P,T(7.1 MeV)=−0.88 (±2.02) x 10⁻³, ρ_P,T(11.0 MeV)=−0.4 (±2.88) x 10⁻³. We have also attempted to find enhancements with MeV neutrons in P-violation due to the term s\k. We are preparing an aligned target cryostat for investigations of P_evenT_odd terms {bd(I\k)(I×k)\s} in neutron scattering. The target will be a single crystal cylinder of¹⁶⁵Ho cooled to 100 mK in a bath of liquid helium and rotated by a shaft from a room temperature stepping motor. The cylinder will be oriented vertically and the alignment (c) axis oriented horizontally. Warming or rotation of the sample allows one to separate effects that mimic the sought-after time reversal violating term.     

Plasticization effect and the excitation of the electronic subsystem in an LiF single crystal by an ultraweak thermalized-neutron flux in the stress-relaxation regime

Plasticization is detected during stress relaxation in uniaxially loaded LiF single crystals irradiated with an ultraweak flux of thermalized neutrons (UFTN) with intensity I _n∼100 neutrons/cm²s. It is shown that when loaded LiF samples are irradiated with an UFTN, excitation of the electronic subsystem of the crystal is observed and is manifested in a stimulation of deformation exoemission of electrons and the generation of F centers. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 70, No. 2, 118–123 (25 July 1999)     

Paramagnetism in copper monoxide systems

This paper describes the problem of high-temperature superconductivity related to investigations of the magnetic susceptibility, electron paramagnetic resonance, and O Kα x-ray emission spectra of samples from the following systems based on copper monoxide: CuO-Cu, CuO-Cu₂O and CuO-MgO. In all these systems, thermal processing results in a paramagnetism which is not observed in the individual components of these systems before they are processed. O Kα spectra of the interface of a Cu-single-crystal CuO film structure indicate the presence of not only Cu²⁺ but also Cu¹⁺ ions in the layer of CuO in close contact with Cu. Possible reasons for the appearance of paramagnetism in these systems are discussed. It is proposed that a paramagnetic layer at the contact between the antiferromagnetic copper monoxide and the other copper-oxide phases or with copper could be the cause of the impurity metastability observed previously in the high-T _c superconducting phase. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 295–298 (February 1998)     

Search for anomalous transmission of ultracold neutrons through metal foils

Results are presented on the search for anomalous transmission of ultracold neutrons (UCNs) through beryllium (thickness ∼0.14 mm), stainless steel (0.05 and 0.015 mm), and copper (0.01 and 0.018 mm) foils. This anomalous transmission is considered to be a possible reason for the disappearance of UCNs from beryllium bottles, an effect which was discovered in experiments at the St. Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute and which was recently observed in the experiment of V. E. Varlamov et al., JETP Lett. 66, 336 (1997). No transmission was found in our measurements at the 10⁻⁷ level except in the case of copper foils, which we attribute to the presence in the UCN flux of an admixture of neutrons with energies higher than the boundary energy for copper. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 7, 440–444 (10 April 1998) Published in English in the original Russian journal. Edited by Steve Torstveit.     

30 keV to 2 MeV Boron implantation profiles in solids

Abstract

Boron was implanted into several solids in the dose regime 10¹⁴ to 10¹⁶ ions/cm² and at energies between some 10 keV and some MeV. Measurements of the corresponding depth distributions were performed by means of the ¹⁰B(n, α₀)⁷Li(gnd) and ¹⁰B(n, α₁)⁷Li?(1st) nuclear reaction techniques with thermal neutrons, and by SIMS. The results are compared to theoretical predictions.     

Isospin dependence of scission-neutron multiplicities in Pu isotopes

In contrast to prompt neutrons, scission neutrons are expected to mostly depend on the characteristics of the fissioning nucleus and, in particular, on its neutron number N. We have studied this effect for a series of plutonium isotopes in the framework of the sudden approximation. We have found a continuous nonnegligible increase of scission-neutron multiplicities from ²³⁶Pu (ν _sc = 0.318 n/fission) to ²⁵⁶Pu (ν _sc = 0.597 n/fission) reflecting the increase in the amount of available neutrons in the system. This increase is irregular owing to the dependence of the partial emission probability on the quantum numbers of the single-neutron states involved. The text was submitted by the authors in English     

Investigation of7Be(n,p)7Li reaction

The⁷Be(n, p)⁷Li nuclear reaction with thermal and 2 keV neutrons was studied. For thermal neutrons the total cross section of (46 800± 4 000) b was obtained and the proton branching ratio to the first excited and ground states of⁷Li was determined to be ₁/₀ = (2±1) %. For 2 keV neutrons the upper limit of the cross section of 540 b was estimated.Dedicated to Academician Václav Votruba on the occasion of his eightieth birthday.The autors thank Mr. A. Dvoák and Mrs. B. Michalcová for their manufacturing the⁶Li standards, Dr. J. Frána for his help in determining the number of⁷Be atoms and Ing. J. Hoffmann, Mr. J. Novotný and Mr. J. Badura for their careful preparation of electronics.     

Positron annihilation study of helium clustering in alpha irradiated copper

Abstract

Helium clustering in alpha irradiated copper has been investigated by positron annihilation spectroscopy. Pure copper samples have been homogeneously helium implanted using a cyclotron, yielding helium concentrations of 100 appm and 400 appm. Post-implantation positron lifetime and Doppler broadened annihilation lineshape measurements have been carried out on these Cu samples as a function of isochronal annealing temperature. An annealing stage observed in the isochronal annealing curve viz., a marked reduction in the resolved lifetime τ₂ and an increase of its intensity I ₂, is explained as due to the formation of helium bubble embryos. At higher annealing temperatures, τ₂ corresponding to helium bubbles increases and saturates while its intensity I ₂ decreases, indicating an increase in the size of the bubble with a concomitant decrease in the bubble concentration. This stage is interpreted to be the bubble growth stage. From an analysis of positron lifetime parameters in the growth stage, helium stom density, bubble size and bubble concentration have been deduced at various annealing temperatures. The bubble characteristics are found to be affected by the helium dose. The present results on direct helium implanted Cu are compared with those of our earlier study on n-irradiated Cu-B, where helium was introduced using ¹⁰B(n, α)⁷ Li reaction.     

Beschleunigungsreaktionen von Neutronen

Acceleration of neutrons by isomeric nuclei. The inelastic neutron acceleration (INNA) by long living isomeric nuclei is studied. The theoretical estimates of the INNA cross-sections for thermal neutrons for a number of isomers give the values in the range 0.1 - 10²b. Inelastic acceleration of thermal neutrons was observed by ^152mEu and ^180mHf, and confirmed the high value of the INNA cross-sections. As a result of the high probability of acceleration some isomeric nuclei ^113mIn, ^115mIn, are not usual moderators but accelerators of neutrons. The use of the INNA reaction for the study of high excited levels and the nature of various nuclear hindrances are discussed.     

Filler-matrix thermal boundary resistance of diamond-copper composite with high thermal conductivity

A composite material with a high thermal conductivity is obtained by capillary infiltration of copper into a bed of diamond particles of 400 μm size, the particles having been pre-coated with tungsten. The measured thermal conductivity of the composite decreases from 910 to 480 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ when the coating thickness is increased from 110 to 470 nm. Calculations of the filler/matrix thermal boundary resistance R and the thermal conductivity of the coating layer λ _i using differential effective medium, Lichtenecker’s and Hashin’s models give similar numerical values of R and λ _i ≈ 1.5 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹. The minimal thickness of the coating h ∼ 100 nm necessary for ensuring production of a composite while maximizing its thermal conductivity, is of the same order as the free path of the heat carriers in diamond (phonons) and in copper (electrons). The heat conductance of the diamond/tungsten carbide coating/copper interface when h is of this thickness is estimated as (0.8–1) × 10⁸ W m⁻² K⁻¹ and is at the upper level of values characteristic for perfect dielectric/metal boundaries.     

Fast magnetic relaxation, studied by microwave absorption in neutron-irradiated YBa2Cu3O7−x ceramic

A contactless microwave method is used to measure the fast magnetic relaxation of granular ceramic samples of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x irradiated by neutrons with fluences of 10¹⁶–10¹⁹ cm⁻². An experimental study of the time dependence of the relaxation of high-frequency (rf) absorption (f=100 MHz) after the action of an external magnetic field pulse has shown the magnetic relaxation times τ ₀ to be in the time interval of 0.5–150 ms. The rf-absorption mechanism is discussed in terms of an intergranular system with a thermally activated flux of vortices and their diffusion in the granular medium. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 977–981 (June 1997)     

Dufour effect in superionic copper selenide

The Dufour effect has been observed in the superionic conductor copper selenide, Cu_2−x Se. This effect is the opposite of the Soret thermal diffusion effect which was previously only observed in gaseous and liquid systems. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 242–244 (February 1998)     

Determination of Moisture Content in Coke with <Superscript>239</Superscript>Pu–Be Neutron Source and BGO Scintillation Gamma Detector

A series of experiments has been conducted at the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics (FLNP) of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in order to study the possibility of determining the moisture content of coke using a standard neutron source. The proposed method is based on a measurement of the spectrum of prompt γ rays emitted when samples are irradiated by fast and/or thermal neutrons. The moisture content is determined from the area of the peaks of characteristic γ rays produced in the radiative capture of thermal neutrons by the proton (E_γ = 2.223 MeV) and inelastic scattering of fast neutrons by ¹⁶O (E_γ = 6.109 MeV). The ²³⁹Pu–Be neutron source (〈E _n 〉 ~ 4.5 MeV) with an intensity of ~5 × 10⁶ n/s was used to irradiate the samples under study. A scintillation detector based on a BGO crystal was used to register the characteristic γ radiation from the inelastic fast neutron scattering and slow (thermal) neutron capture. This paper presents the results of humidity measurement in the range of 2–50% [1, 2].     

Production of V0 pairs in the hyperon experiment WA89

We present a comprehensive study of the inclusive production of V⁰V⁰ pairs (V⁰=Λ, Λ̄ or K_S ) by Σ^- and π^- of 340 GeV/c momentum and neutrons of 260 GeV/c mean momentum in copper and carbon targets. In particular, the dependence of the x_F spectra on the combination of beam-particle and produced V⁰V⁰ pair is investigated and compared to predictions obtained from PYTHIA and QSGM calculations. The data and these predictions differ in many details, the agreement can at best be termed as qualitative. A signal from decays of the tensor meson f’₂(1525) was observed in the K_S K_S mass distribution and inclusive production cross sections were measured. No signal was found from the double-strange H-dibaryon decaying to ΛΛ.     

Mechanism of small variations in energy of ultracold neutrons interacting with a surface

The cause of the small heating of ultracold neutrons (UCNs) by ～10^?7 eV with a probability of 10^?8–10^?5 per collision with a surface was investigated. Neutrons heated in this way will be called vaporized UCNs (VUCNs). It was established that a preliminary heating of a sample in vacuum up to a temperature of 500–600 K can increase small-heating probability P _VUCN by a factor of at least ～100 and 10 on a stainless steel and a copper surface, respectively. For the first time, an extremely vigorous small heating of UCNs was observed on a powder of diamond nanoparticles. In this case, both the VUCN spectrum and the temperature dependence of probability P _VUCN were similar to those previously obtained for stainless steel, beryllium, and copper samples. On the surface of single crystal sapphire, neither the small heating of UCNs nor nanoparticles were found. All these facts indicate that VUCNs are likely produced by inelastic scattering of UCNs on weakly bound surface nanoparticles being in permanent thermal motion.     

Neutron scattering by anharmonic crystals and the effect of sublattice displacements

A theory has been given for the scattering of neutrons by anharmonic crystals, for which terms of the typeV ⁽³⁾ (k _1j1; —k _1j1;o _j) which contribute to the sublattice displacements are not neglected. Using the standard perturbation theory in the interaction picture or Green’s function method, an expression has been derived for the differential scattering cross-section which brings in the shift and the width of the phonons in one-phonon energy exchange processes. It is shown that the sublattice displacements will modify the phase factor arising from the scattering by any atom in the unit cell, and the Debye-Waller factor also gets altered both by the sublattice displacements as well as by higher order terms arising from anharmonicity. It is shown that the differential scattering cross-section contains a term linearly depending on the third order anharmonicity coefficientV ⁽³⁾ (k _1j1;k _2j2;k _3j3) and neutron scattering by crystals should provide a useful method for evaluating the third order anharmonicity coefficients.     

Thermal stability of submicrocrystalline copper strengthened with HfO2 nanoparticles in the temperature range 20–500 °C

The thermal stability of the yield stress and Young’s modulus was investigated in ultrafinegrained copper (99.98%) and a Cu-HfO₂ composite obtained by intensive plastic deformation using the method of equichannel angular pressing. It is shown that both the pure copper and the composite strengthened with HfO₂ nanoparticles demonstrate in this state a high yield stress (σ _0.2≈400 MPa). When the two-hour annealing temperature T _a is increased above 200 °C, the yield stress in pure copper decreases to 40 MPa at T _a=400 °C, whereas in the Cu-HfO₂ composite, high yield stresses are conserved up to T _a=500 °C. A recovery stage of Young’s modulus is found at around 200 °C both in pure copper and in the Cu-HfO₂ composite. It is concluded that this stage reflects the transition of the grain boundaries from a nonequilibrium to an equilibrium state, and the high-strength properties of the materials are determined mainly by the grain size and depend weakly on the grain-boundary structure. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1268–1270 (July 1998)     

Nucleation efficiency of R134a as a sensitive liquid for superheated drop emulsion detector

Superheated emulsion detector is known to detect neutrons, γ-rays and other charged particles. The present work includes the study of nucleation efficiency of superheated drops of one of the CFC-free liquids, R134a (C₂H₂F₄), to fast neutrons, its response to γ-rays from ²⁴¹Am and ¹³⁷Cs and compare its nucleation efficiency with that of R12. The observation indicates that because of the presence of hydrogen, the nucleation efficiency is less in R134a than in R12 in the present neutron energy range of consideration. R134a is one of the most environment-friendly, commercially available liquid that is suitable for superheated drop detector, specially in neutron dosimetry and one needs to investigate it in detail.