Lead Slowing-Down Neutron Spectrometry II: Cross-Section Data for 243Cm(n,f ), 244Cm(n,f ), 245Cm(n,f ), 246Cm(n,f ), 247Cm(n,f ), 248Cm(n,f ) at Energies up to 100 keV

Abstract

The capabilities of lead slowing-down neutron spectrometry are demonstrated. The paper reviews the results of a series of studies on the measurement of the fission cross sections of curium isotopes ²⁴³Cm, ²⁴⁴Cm, ²⁴⁵Cm, ²⁴⁶Cm, ²⁴⁷Cm, and ²⁴⁸Cm by neutrons with energies below 100 keV. These studies were carried out by a joint group of researchers from the Institute for Nuclear Research, Russian Academy of Sciences (INR RAS), and the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation, Leypunsky Institute of Physics and Power Engineering (SSC RF LIPPE) using an SVZ-100 lead slowing-down neutron spectrometer. This third-generation spectrometer possesses high luminosity, enabling the investigation of neutron-nuclear processes in microgram-scale samples of radioactive nuclides, which is unattainable in experiments using time-of-flight spectrometry. The results of research at the INR RAS and the SSC RF LIPPE are reflected in international nuclear data repositories, supplementing known experimental data and indicating, in several cases, the need for adjustments to recommended values.