Recent research programs at the TRIGA Mark II reactor in Ljubljana

Recent developments and new research activities which make use of the TRIGA reactor in Ljubljana are reported. They are spread over a broad range of research fields from nuclear and solid state physics, reactor physics and engineering, neutron radiography, analytical chemistry, medicine and biology, and industrial applications. The following investigations are briefly described: Improvements in the thermal neutron beam facility for nuclear capture studies, a rotating crystal time-of-flight spectrometer and its use for measurements of dynamics of crystal lattices in liquid crystals and ferroelectrics, measurements by the fast neutron spectroscopy and dosimetry group of fission-spectrum averaged activation cross-sections for some threshold detectors; measurements of fast neutron spectra in standard TRIGA seed irradiation facilities and improvements of activation data unfolding program ITER II and its application to unfolding of single crystal fast neutron scintillation spectrometers, a simple nuclear power plant simulator to be used for education of plant personnel; neutron activation analysis falls into two parts: ecological studies of the uptake and distribution of mercury and some other micro-elements in particular in the Idrija area (mercury mining), and the development of methods for the analysis of trace elements in standard reference materials, biological samples, and high purity materials. (U.S.)