L2 Milestone: Neutron Capture Cross Sections from Surrogate (p, d) Measurements: Determination of the Unknown 87 Y(n, g) Cross Section and Assessment of the Method Via the 90 Zr(n, g) Benchmark Case: Theory Report
Cross sections for compound-nuclear reactions involving unstable targets are important for many applications, but can often not be measured directly. Here we describe a method for extracting cross sections for neutron-capture on unstable isotopes from indirect (surrogate) measurements. The surrogate reaction, which produces the compound nucleus of interest, has to be described and the decay of the nucleus has to be modeled. We outline the approach for one-neutron pickup and report on the determination of the 90 Zr(n, γ ) reaction from surrogate 92 Zr(p,d) data, which is compared to the directly-measured capture cross section and thus provides a benchmark for the method. We then apply the method to determine the 87 Y(n, γ ) cross section, which has not been measured directly. The work was carried out in the context of an LLNL L2 Milestone. This report addresses the theory aspects of the milestone. A complementary document summarizes the experimental efforts [1].