Quantifying the nuclear slow-process via neutron activation

The purpose of this paper was to try to represent the building of the elements which have A≥60 slow process (s-process) in the stars, by using the Neutron Activation Analyses techniques (NAA), and prove to that this technique can be applied successfully with source of neutrons fluxes that do not exceed 10⁶n/s cm². This techniques was applied in the radiation laboratory in the physics department, at the university of Surrey, by activating a number of nuclides in the in the ²⁴¹Am/:9Be neutron tank. The radionuclides ⁶⁴Cu, ⁶⁶Cu, ⁷⁵Ge and ¹⁰¹Tc were produced following the activation of samples of ⁶³Cu, ⁶⁵Cu, ⁷⁴Ge and ¹⁰⁰Mo respectively their subsequent β-delayed γ-ray emission was measured using the low background gamma-ray detection systems in the laboratory. This system allowed the observation of the neutron capture reactions ⁶³Cu(n,γ)⁶⁴Cu, ⁶⁵Cu(n,γ⁶⁶Cu, ⁷⁴Ge(n,γ)⁷⁵Ge and ¹⁰⁰Mo(n,γ,β)¹⁰¹Tc. The half-lives of the nuclides produced were measured to be ⁶⁴Cu = 12.7±3 .5 hour, ⁶⁶Cu = 7.5±2.7 min, Ge = 87± 9min and ¹⁰¹Tc = 17±4.1min, which are all in good agreement with the published values.(author)