Excitation Function of the ReactionTi47(n, p)Sc47at Neutron Energies between 2.0 and 3.6 Mev

Abstract

The relative cross section for ${\mathrm{Ti}}^{47}(n, p){\mathrm{Sc}}^{47}$ has been measured by an activation method for neutron energies of 2.0 to 3.6 Mev. The absolute cross section at 3.55-Mev neutron energy is found to be 62.7±9.7 mb by comparing the absolute 160-kev gamma activity of ${\mathrm{Sc}}^{47}$ with the absolute beta activity of ${\mathrm{Si}}^{31}$ from the ${\mathrm{P}}^{31}(n, p){\mathrm{Si}}^{31}$ reaction, which has a known cross section of 96.2±9.0 mb. The cross section rises from 40.1 mb at 1.99 Mev to 69.9 mb at 3.40 Mev. A comparison is made of the observed cross sections for ${\mathrm{P}}^{31}(n, p){\mathrm{Si}}^{31}$, ${\mathrm{S}}^{32}(n, p){\mathrm{P}}^{32}$, ${\mathrm{Ti}}^{47}(n, p){\mathrm{Sc}}^{47}$, and ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{58}(n, p){\mathrm{Co}}^{58}$ with a theoretical estimate based on the statistical theory of nuclear reactions with the assumption that only the ground states and possibly the first excited states of the residual nuclei contribute to the cross section.