Measurement of the 197-Au(n,gamma) cross section at n TOF: towards a new standard

Abstract

Two different detectors and techniques are employed at n TOF facility, at CERN, to improve the accuracy of the neutron capture cross section of 197Au(n,γ): a total absorption calorimeter and a set of C6D6. The accurate knowledge of this cross section is of great importance for all the (n,γ) reactions study. The neutron capture cross section and nuclear resonce parameters of the 197Au have been measured in the energy range of 1 eV to 1 kev. The present work shows in average a good agreement with evaluated data libraries, although sizeable differences have been observed for some resonances. Two new resonances have also been discovered. The accuracy of the resonance partial widths has been improved and the main nuclear quantities such as the neutron strength function have been extracted.