https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/s10050-023-01012-9
Regular Article - Experimental Physics
Measuring neutron capture cross sections of radioactive nuclei
From activations at the FZK Van de Graaff to direct neutron captures in inverse kinematics with a storage ring at TRIUMF
1
TRIUMF, V6T 2A3, Vancouver, BC, Canada
2
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, V8P 5C2, Victoria, BC, Canada
3
Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, L8S 4M1, Hamilton, ON, Canada
Received:
23
December
2022
Accepted:
13
April
2023
Published online:
12
May
2023
Measuring neutron capture cross sections of radioactive nuclei is a crucial step towards a better understanding of the origin of the elements heavier than iron. For decades, the precise measurement of direct neutron capture cross sections in the “stellar” energy range (eV up to a few MeV) was limited to stable and longer-lived nuclei that could be provided as physical samples and then irradiated with neutrons. New experimental methods are now being developed to extend these direct measurements towards shorter-lived radioactive nuclei (
1 y). One project in this direction is a low-energy heavy-ion storage ring coupled to the ISAC facility at TRIUMF, Canada’s accelerator laboratory in Vancouver BC, which has a compact neutron source in the ring matrix. Such a pioneering facility could be built within the next 10 years and store a wide range of radioactive ions provided directly from the existing ISOL facility, allowing for the first time to carry out direct neutron capture measurements on short-lived isotopes in inverse kinematics.
© The Author(s) 2023
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