Elastic and inelastic scattering of 1.5-MeV neutrons by the even-A isotopes of zirconium and molybdenum

Elastic and inelastic scattering of 1.5-MeV neutrons by the even-A isotopes of zirconium and molybdenum

Date: September 1974
Creator: McDaniel, Floyd Del. (Floyd Delbert), 1942-; Brandenberger, J. D.; Leighton, H. G. & Glasgow, G. P.
Description: This article discusses elastic and inelastic scattering of 1.5-MeV neutrons by the even-A isotopes of zirconium and molybdenum. Abstract: Differential elastic and inelastic cross sections were measured for 1.5-MeV neutrons scattered by the even-A isotopes of zirconium and molybdenum. The scattering samples were enriched isotopes of ⁹⁰Zr, ⁹²Zr, ⁹⁴Zr, ⁹²Mo, ⁹⁴Mo, ⁹⁶Mo, and ¹⁰⁰Mo. The cross sections were measured using a dynamically biased neutron time-of-flight spectrometer. The differential cross sections have root-mean-square relative and normalization uncertainties of 2 to 3.5% and 7 to 7.5%, respectively, for elastic scattering, and 6 to 13% and 9 to 15%, respectively, for inelastic scattering. Isotopes with similar level structures have almost identical elastic angular distributions. The entire set of data was theoretically fitted using the optical-statistical model with resonance-width-fluctuation corrections. The calculated elastic differential cross section was assumed to be an incoherent sum of shape-elastic and compound-elastic scattering. At the minima in the angular distributions the cross sections were dominated by compound-elastic scattering.
Contributing Partner: UNT College of Arts and Sciences