On the Interaction of 95-Mev Protons with D, Li, Be, C, Al, Cu, and Pb Nuclei

Abstract

A measurement has been made of the energy distribution of neutrons emitted from various targets at angles of 0°, 5°, 10°, 16°, and 28° with respect to the primary 95-Mev proton beam. The results fall into three groups: (1) the number of neutrons emitted by C, Al, Cu, and Pb targets decreases with neutron energy and with angle of emission; (2) the energy distribution of neutrons emitted from D is peaked, but the width is believed to represent mainly the energy distribution of the primary proton beam; (3) neutrons emitted from Li and Be show a peaked energy distribution, with the size of the peak decreasing rapidly with increasing angle of emission. The spectra obtained from the heavier elements appear to be in general agreement with the theory of high energy nuclear reactions based on the generation of a nuclear cascade. However, the forward minimum and the high energy peak predicted by Goldberger's calculations have not been observed with the heavier elements. The results obtained with Be are interpreted on the basis of a very simplified model.