Speaker
Description
Nuclear reactions induced by fast neutrons starting from 0.5 MeV up to 25 MeV with emission of alpha particles were investigated. Cross-sections and their uncertainties, angular correlations, and forward-backward asymmetry effects were evaluated with Talys, SPSS, and the author’s own computer codes. Contribution to the cross-section of nuclear reaction mechanisms like direct, compound, and pre-equilibrium together with discrete and continuum states of residual nuclei were determined. Theoretical evaluations are compared with existing experimental data and parameters of nuclear potential in the incident and emergent channels are obtained. Using cross-section and angular correlation data from Talys, forward-backward effects are obtained for different incident neutron energies and target with finite dimensions. The simulated forward-backward asymmetry coefficient is sensibly lower than the effect measured in the experiment. The observed difference can be explained by the presence of other emergent channels including alpha particles and not by the presence of so-called non-statistical effects. Factor analysis data reduction method was tested on neutron-induced cross-section data sets given by the variation of the Wood Saxon (WS) potential parameters in the incident and emergent channels. The present work was realized in the frame of a fast neutron scientific program in FLNP JINR Dubna.