New total neutron cross-section measurement of uranium between 0.5-4.35 MeV

The total neutron cross-section of natural uranium was measured with the neutron time-of-flight facility at the Karlsruhe Isochronous Cyclotron (KIC). The measurement covers the energy range between 0.5 and 4.35 MeV with a resolution of 0.03 ns/m; this corresponds to an energy resolution between 290 eV at 0.5 MeV and 7.4 keV at 4.35 MeV. In the energy region 1.1-4.35 MeV the statistical error was between 1% and 0.5%, below 1.1 MeV the error increases up to 2.7% at 0.5 MeV. An extensive comparison with new available data is given. The existence of fluctuations in the cross-section in the lower energy range is investigated. (author)