Neutron resonance capture analysis: Improvements for resonances above 3 keV and new applications

In neutron resonance capture analysis (NRCA), the detection of resonances in the neutron cross section as a function of neutron energy with the time of flight (TOF) technique is used to identify and quantify isotopes. In this paper the improvements of the measuring conditions are discussed in order to reduce the high background, especially in the keV range. The detection efficiency was generally improved, especially for resonances above 3 keV, which allowed the detection of lighter elements, usually having resonances only in the keV region. This broadened the number of applications that could be targeted with NRCA.