Investigation of the⁹³Nb(<i>n, xp</i>) Reaction at<i>E</i>_<i>n</i>= 14.1 MeV

Abstract

The energy and angular distributions of the protons from the 93Nb(n, xp) reactions were investigated by means of the Vienna multitelescope system. Whereas total hydrogen production cross sections are in fair agreement with previous results, considerable deviations from a previous measurement of the shape of the angle-integrated proton spectrum have been found. No other detailed measurements of the angular distributions have as yet been reported.The angle-integrated results are compared with calculations based on the statistical model of nuclear reactions, including precompound processes. It is shown that the proton emission spectrum can be described within this model if the usual pairing correction is also used for the exciton state densities within precompound calculations and otherwise a set of parameters which gives an adequate description of all other neutron-induced reactions of 93Nb.The angular distributions, which show a strongly energy-dependent forward-backward asymmetry, are compared to the results of a phenomenological model and to those of direct reaction theory for continuum cross sections.