Nuclear Reactions Produced by Nitrogen on Boron and Oxygen

Abstract

The following nuclear reactions were detected from the bombardment of elemental boron and oxygen by energetic nitrogen ions: (1) ${\mathrm{B}}^{10}$(${\mathrm{N}}^{14}$, ${\mathrm{O}}^{15}$)${\mathrm{Be}}^9$, (2) ${\mathrm{B}}^{10}$(${\mathrm{N}}^{14}$, ${\mathrm{N}}^{13}$)${\mathrm{B}}^{11}$, (3) ${\mathrm{B}}^{10}$(${\mathrm{N}}^{14}$, ${\mathrm{C}}^{11}$)${\mathrm{C}}^{13}$, (4) ${\mathrm{B}}^{10}$(${\mathrm{N}}^{14}$, ${\mathrm{F}}^{18}$)${\mathrm{Li}}^6$, (5) ${\mathrm{B}}^{11}({\mathrm{N}}^{14}, p){\mathrm{Na}}^{24}$, (6) ${\mathrm{O}}^{16}({\mathrm{N}}^{14}, 2p){\mathrm{Al}}^{28}$, and (7) ${\mathrm{O}}^{16}$(${\mathrm{N}}^{14}$, ${\mathrm{F}}^{18}$)${\mathrm{C}}^{12}$. The yields for these reactions were differentiated to obtain the cross sections as a function of energy. Reactions (2) and (3) can be identified as stripping reactions by comparison with similar proton-induced reactions and by comparison with previously studied nitrogen-induced reactions. Only a small part of reaction (1) seems to proceed through a stripping reaction although it should be similar to reaction (3). Reactions (1) and (4) are compared to proton-induced reactions in ${\mathrm{Na}}^{23}$ which lead to the same residual radioactive nuclei. The nitrogen-induced reactions are more probable by factors of 4 and 2, respectively, after barrier corrections, indicating that the nitrogen-and proton-induced reactions proceed through somewhat different mechanisms. The reactions observed in the bombardment of oxygen are compared to proton-induced reactions in ${\mathrm{Si}}^{29}$. The (${\mathrm{N}}^{14}$, $2p$) and ($p, 2p$) excitation functions may be similar but the lack of barrier penetration calculations prohibits accurate comparisons.