https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/s10050-025-01712-4
Regular Article - Experimental Physics
Validation of neutron capture cross section on 68Zn in the vicinity of the inelastic scattering threshold
1
Department of Physics, Banaras Hindu University, 221005, Varanasi, India
2
Department of Physics, Mizoram University, 796004, Tanhril, Aizawl, India
3
Reactor Physics Design Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, 400085, Mumbai, India
4
Nuclear Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, 400085, Mumbai, India
5
Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, 400094, Mumbai, India
6
Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH), 077125, Bucharest, Romania
Received:
5
July
2025
Accepted:
30
September
2025
Published online:
21
October
2025
To investigate the energy dependence of the neutron capture cross section on 68Zn close to the inelastic scattering threshold, we measured the 68Zn(
)69
reaction cross section at 1.12 ± 0.11, 1.40 ± 0.11, 1.62 ± 0.10 and 2.42 ± 0.09 MeV using the 7Li(p,n)7Be reaction as neutron source. The spectrum averaged neutron energy was computed using the neutron energy spectrum code EPEN and the neutron flux was normalized using the 115In(n,n’)115
monitor reaction. The data analysis was carried out using the latest decay data. Necessary corrections have been made for the low energy background neutron contribution and 
-ray self-attenuation. After performing detailed uncertainty propagation, the newly measured cross sections are compared to previously published data found in the EXFOR database as well as to theoretical model predictions using TALYS-2.0 with different level density models and -ray strength functions, and also with the most recent nuclear data evaluations, JENDL-5, ENDF/B-VIII.1, and JEFF-4.0. The present work significantly reduces the uncertainty to 6% compared to previously reported values ranging from 11% to 19%.
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Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
