On the Possibility of Experimental Comparison of the Isomeric Ratio for 186Re Nuclei in Radiative Capture of Reactor Thermal and Epithermal Neutrons by Natural Rhenium

Abstract

The prospect of creation of the accumulator of energy on the basis of nuclear isomer ^186mRe (a half-life of 2 × 10⁵ yr) does actual a question of the choice of conditions of natural rhenium irradiation by reactor neutrons for production of big amounts of the isomer. Calculations of dependence of the isomeric ratio, known in literature, at formation of ¹⁸⁶Re nuclei in ground and isomeric states show insignificant difference in efficiency of production of isomer by thermal neutrons or in active zone of reactor. This conclusion has been confirmed experimentally with an accuracy up to 20% earlier. In the present work, a method of more exact experimental check of results of the isomeric ratio calculation is suggested.