Study of structure of nuclei with neutrons and nuclear data measurements for MFE. Progress report, September 1, 1978-August 31, 1979

Measurements of neutron inelastic scattering cross sections for 7Li(n,n')7Li* (0.478 MeV) made at this Laboratory together with our earlier elastic scattering results have been analyzed in terms of our new multilevel-multichannel R-Matrix calculation. The investigation has led to the assignment of many more levels in 8Li than were previously known with confidence. These results are in good agreement with recent theoretical model calculations, so that together the two provide considerable advancement in the state of our knowledge of 8Li, the knowledge of which has stood virtually motionless for two decades. Inelastic differential cross sections have been measured from 4.8 to 6.5 MeV for 11B and 13C over part of the resonance region of each nucleus. These form the initial portion of a comprehensive study of the compound nuclei 12B and 14C using inelastic and elastic data in a multichannel-multilevel R-Matrix analysis. The construction and optimization testing of the triplet quadrupole spectrometer for study of (n,z) reactions are essentially completed. Performance tests show that design characteristics of solid angle and resolution have been achieved. Initial measurements with the spectrometer to study the neutron-neutron final state interactions in the D(n,p)nn reaction at E/sub n/ = 9 and 11 MeV, and measurements of the elastic scattering of neutrons by deuterium by observation of the recoil deuterons with the spectrometer is now underway. These results are preliminary to the (n,z) measurements on structural and tritium-breeding elements of fusion reactor designs