Measurements and analysis of carbon and oxygen neutron inelastic cross sections below 10 MeV

Inconsistencies and errors have been found in standard neutron cross-section libraries. In particular, cross-sections for the production of gamma-rays induced by the interactions of fast neutrons with carbon and oxygen have been found to be in error. Accurate values for these particular cross-sections are important for the simulation and design of non-intrusive inspection systems based on nuclear techniques. To support the simulations, several experimental measurements have been performed and analyzed. These include both relative measurements of angular distributions and absolute measurements of differential cross sections. Simple analysis has been performed for all of the data collected, and detailed analysis has been performed for data collected at a neutron energy of 8.51 MeV. A description of the experimental setup, the analysis of the data, and the results are presented. (orig.)