Relative Cross Sections for Nuclear Reactions Induced by High Energy Neutrons in Light Elements

Abstract

Various light elements from carbon to sulfur were bombarded in the high energy (about 90 Mev) neutron beam of the 184-inch cyclotron and decay curves were taken on the resulting activities. Relative cross sections for certain reactions were obtained by analyzing the decay curves into component activities and comparing the yields with the activity induced in a carbon monitor bombarded in the same beam. Values for 16 reactions are given with a probable error of about ± 10 percent, as well as upper limits for six other reactions. An apparent regularity among these data is pointed out; cross sections for reactions differing by the ejection of an alpha-particle or its components differ by a factor of about three.