Speaker
Description
Obtaining reliable cross sections for neutron-induced reactions on unstable nuclei is a highly important task and a major challenge. These data are essential for understanding the synthesis of heavy elements in stars and for applications in nuclear technology. However, their measurement is very complicated as both projectile and target are radioactive. The NECTAR (NuclEar reaCTions At storage Rings) project aims to circumvent these problems by using the surrogate reaction method in inverse kinematics, where the nucleus formed in the neutron-induced reaction of interest is produced by a reaction (typically a transfer or an inelastic-scattering reaction) involving a radioactive heavy-ion beam and a stable, light target nucleus. The probabilities as a function of the compound-nucleus excitation energy for gamma-ray emission, neutron emission and fission, which can be measured with the surrogate reaction, are particularly useful to constrain model parameters and to inform more accurate predictions of neutron-induced reaction cross sections [1].
Yet, the full development of the surrogate method is hampered by the numerous long-standing target issues. The objective of the NECTAR project is to solve these issues by combining surrogate reactions with the unique and largely unexplored possibilities at heavy-ion storage rings. In a storage ring heavy radioactive ions revolve at high frequency passing repeatedly through an electron cooler, which will greatly improve the beam quality and restore it after each passage of the beam through the internal gas-jet serving as ultra-thin, windowless target. This way, excitation energy and decay probabilities can be measured with unrivaled accuracy.
In this contribution, we will present the conceptual idea of the setup, which will be developed within NECTAR to measure for the first time simultaneously the fission, neutron and gamma-ray emission probabilities at the storage rings of the GSI/FAIR facility. We will also discuss the developments that are being carried out towards these measurements. In particular, we will present the first results of a proof of principle experiment, which will be conducted in June 2022 at the ESR storage ring of GSI/FAIR.
[1] R. Pérez Sánchez, B. Jurado et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 125 (2020) 122502
Acknowledgement: This work has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (ERC-Advanced grant NECTAR, grant agreement No 884715).
