Neutron Capture on 209Bi: Determination of the Production Ratio of 210mBi/210gBi

Neutron capture on 209Bi produces either an isomeric state 210mBi with a half life of 3 x 106 years, or the ground state 210gBi which decays with a half life of 5 days to the alpha emitter 210Po. Therefore the neutron capture cross section ratio 209Bi(n,gamma)210mBi/210gBi plays an important role in predicting the short- and long-term radio-toxicity produced by 209Bi under neutron irradiation. This ratio is dependent on the neutron energy. We have measured this ratio for cold neutrons at the cold neutron beam facility of the Budapest Neutron Centre by observing the population of the ground- and the metastable state using high resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy. The same technique has been used at the pulsed white neutron source GELINA of the IRMM, Geel in combination with the neutron time-of-flight technique. Results for the neutron-energy dependent branching ratio will be presented. In addition we performed simulations using a statistical decay code.

GUNSING F.;  BERTHOUMIEUX E.;  BORELLA Alessandro;  BELGYA T.;  SZENTMIKLOSI L.;  SCHILLEBEECKX Peter;  DROHE Jean Claude;  WYNANTS Ruud;  COLONNA N.;  MARRONE S.;  TAGLIENTE G.;  TERLIZZI R.;  DOMINGO-PARDO C.;  TAIN J.;  MARTINEZ T.;  MASSIMI C.;  MASTINU P.;  MILAZZO P. M.; 

2011-10-04

KOREAN PHYSICAL SOC

JRC59404

0374-4884,   

http://www.kps.or.kr/home/eng/contents/Journals.asp?localmenu=4,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC59404,   

10.3938/jkps.59.1670,