Leader: Igor Chuprakov

Work phone number: +7 (496) 216-21-57

Work E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Scientific problem:

The investigation of fast-neutron-induced charged-particle reactions is of great interest for meeting fundamental problems of nuclear structure and the mechanisms of neutron-nucleus interactions. It also provides valuable information for reactor technology, particularly, for estimating heating, radiation defects and the accumulation of hydrogen and helium in structural materials. The data obtained during experiments is accumulated in nuclear data banks. There are five such files or libraries, corresponding to the number of major countries with nuclear technology. These are ENDF/B-VII (USA), JENDL-3.3 (Japan), JEFF-3.0 (European Union), CENDL-3 (China) and BROND-3 (Russia). The current state of theoretical estimates of the (n, α) reaction cross sections, provided in various nuclear data libraries (ENDF/B-VII, JENDL-4.0, BROND 3, others), for many nuclei discovered in structural materials is also unsatisfactory and dispersion of estimated cross sections for many practically important isotopes exceeds 20–30%. (n, p) and (n, α) reactions also play a significant role in the astrophysical processes of nuclear fusion of light and intermediate-mass nuclei. Currently, calculating various nuclear fusion scenarios requires knowledge of the rates of these reactions.

Objective: 

The aim of the project is to experimentally study the reaction cross-sections (neutron, charged particle) for a number of light nuclei and nuclei of elements and to develop a technique for measuring the reaction cross-sections (n, p) and (n, α) using fast and resonance neutrons at the IREN facility of the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research.

Tasks:

1. Development and implementation of a methodology for measuring the cross sections of the (n, p) and (n, α) reactions on fast and resonance neutrons at the IREN and EG-5 facilities of FLNP JINR;
2. Development of a new system for data acquisition and analysis;
3. Carrying out measurements of (n, charged particle) reactions on stable nuclei induced by fast neutrons (2-6 MeV) at IREN and EG-5 of FLNP JINR;
4. Development of a system of new-type neutron-producing targets; monitoring and calibration of the neutron beam;
5. Simulation of (n, p) and (n, α) reactions on fast and resonance neutrons.

Research facilities: 

Experimental research will be carried out with fast and resonance neutrons in certain areas in the range of 300 keV – 6 MeV at the EG-5 and IREN accelerators of FLNP JINR.