Fast-neutron interaction with elemental zirconium, and the dispersive optical model

• Published in: Physical review. C, Nuclear physics Nuclear physics, 1992-03, Vol.45 (3), p.1260-1275
• Main Authors: Chiba, S, Guenther, PT, Smith, AB, Sugimoto, M, Lawson, RD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 663300 - Nuclear Reactions & Scattering, General- (1992-); 663430 - Nucleon-Induced Reactions & Scattering- (1992-); 663560 - Nuclear Mass Ranges- A=90-149- (1992-); ANGULAR DISTRIBUTION; BARYON REACTIONS; BINDING ENERGY; CROSS SECTIONS; DIFFERENTIAL CROSS SECTIONS; DISTRIBUTION; ELASTIC SCATTERING; ENERGY; ENERGY RANGE; HADRON REACTIONS; INELASTIC SCATTERING; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; MEV RANGE; MEV RANGE 01-10; NEUTRON REACTIONS; NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS; NUCLEAR REACTIONS; NUCLEON REACTIONS; OPTICAL MODELS; SCATTERING; STATISTICAL MODELS; TARGETS; ZIRCONIUM 90 TARGET
• ISSN: 0556-2813; 1089-490X
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevC.45.1260

Differential neutron elastic- and inelastic-scattering cross sections of elemental zirconium were measured from {approx}1.5 to 10 MeV. Below 3 MeV the measurements were made at incident-neutron energy intervals of {approx}100 keV, from 3 to 4 MeV in steps of {approx}200 keV, and in {approx}500 keV increments at higher energies. The angular range of the measurements is {approx}18{degree} to 160{degree}, with up to more than 100 differential values per distribution. This comprehensive database, augmented with a 24 MeV elastic-scattering distribution from the literature, is used to develop two phenomenological optical-statistical models, both of which describe the data very well. First, the parameters of the conventional spherical optical model (SOM) are deduced. Second, the model in which the dispersion relationship, linking real and imaginary interactions (DOM), is considered. The SOM parameters are consistent with systematics previously reported from this laboratory, and the volume integral per nucleon of the real potential strength, {ital J}{sub {ital V}}, and the radius, {ital r}{sub {ital V}}, are energy dependent. Although the energy dependence of {ital J}{sub {ital V}} is reduced by about 30% in going from the SOM to the DOM, there is little change in the {ital E} variation of {ital r}{sub {ital V}} between the two models. Both models are extrapolated to the bound-state regime where they have modest success in predicting the binding energies of the single-particle and single-hole states in {sup 90}Zr.