Measurement of the Thermal Neutron Capture Cross section of 237Np for the Study of Nuclear Transmutation

Full text of publication follows: Accurate nuclear data of minor actinides are required for the study of nuclear transmutation of radioactive wastes. The 237Np is one of the most important minor actinides for this study because of its relatively large abundance in irradiated fuels. However, there are apparent discrepancies between the reported neutron capture cross sections of the 237Np for thermal neutrons. History on the measurements of the neutron capture cross section of 237Np for thermal neutrons is briefly presented first. Recent three data measured by a γ ray spectroscopic method are much smaller than those measured by other methods. To deduce the neutron capture cross section by an activation method with γ ray spectroscopy, the relevant γ-ray emission probabilities are used. These decay data could be an origin of the discrepancies on the neutron capture cross section of 237Np. To examine the hypothesis, we measured the relevant γ-ray emission probabilities of 233Pa and 238Np from the ratio of the emission rate to the activity. The obtained emission probabilities are used to correct the thermal neutron capture cross section of 237Np reported previously. The cross section is also independently determined by irradiating 237Np sample in the research reactor of Kyoto University and counting α rays emitted from 237Np and 238Pu with a Si detector. The measured emission probabilities of 233Pa and 238Np, and the neutron capture cross section of 237Np are compared with others from references. The results of the precise decay data explain the discrepancy on the neutron capture cross section of 237Np. Details of the experiments and results will be presented. (authors)