Cross sections for the 93Nb(n,2n)92mNb reaction

Abstract

The cross section of the 93Nb(n,2n)92mNb reaction has been studied by use of the activation method from the threshold energy of 8.8–19.8 MeV. Measurements are relative to the known cross-section values for the reactions H(n,n)H, 32S(n,p)32p, and 27Al(n,α)24Na. The cross-section value increases smoothly with energy and reaches a maximum value of 444 ± 18 mb at about 14.5 MeV then decreases to values of 293 ± 14 mb at 19.8 MeV. An effective cross-section value for a fission neutron spectrum calculated from the results is 0.321 ± 0.019 mb. The activation of Nb as a transfer standard for 14 MeV neutrons is discussed.