Cross section for the production of compound nuclei in pBi interaction at energies in the range 20-100 MeV

A method for determining the cross section for compound-nucleus formation, σCN, in nuclear reactions initiated by protons of energy in the range 20-100 MeV is proposed. The method is based on measuring cross sections for the yield of isotopes maximally remote from the target nucleus. The applicability of the method is illustrated by applying it to the reaction 209Bi(p, xn), which is considered by way of example. Data obtained for the cross section σCN are compared with the results of calculations performed on the basis of the intranuclear-cascade model.