Measurement of the differential cross sections and angle-integrated cross sections of the ⁶Li(n, t)⁴He reaction from 1.0 eV to 3.0 MeV at the CSNS Back-n white neutron source *

Abstract

Abstract The 6 Li( n , t ) 4 He reaction was measured as the first experiment involving neutron-induced charged particle emission reactions at the CSNS (China Spallation Neutron Source) Back-n white neutron source. The differential cross-sections of the 6 Li( n , t ) 4 He reaction at 15 detection angles ranging from 19.2° to 160.8° are obtained from 1.0 eV to 3.0 MeV at 80 neutron energy points; for 50 energy points below 0.1 MeV they are reported for the first time. The results indicate that the anisotropy of the emitted tritium is noticeable above E n = 100 eV. The angle-integrated cross-sections are also obtained. The present differential cross-sections agree in general with the previous evaluations, but there are some differences in the details. More importantly, the present results indicate that the cross-sections of the 6 Li( n , t ) 4 He reaction might be overestimated by most evaluations in the 0.5 − 3.0 MeV region, although they are recommended as standards below 1.0 MeV.