Fast-neutron activation of long-lived nuclides in natural Pb

V. E. Guiseppe; S. R. Elliott; N. E. Fields; D. Hixon

doi:10.1016/j.astropartphys.2014.11.002

Fast-neutron activation of long-lived nuclides in natural Pb

V. E. Guiseppe, S. R. Elliott, N. E. Fields, D. Hixon

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

We measured the production of the long-lived nuclides ²⁰⁷Bi, ²⁰²Pb, and ¹⁹⁴Hg in a sample of natural Pb due to high-energy neutron interactions using a neutron beam at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. The activated sample was counted by a HPGe detector to measure the amount of radioactive nuclides present. These nuclides are critical in understanding potential backgrounds in low background experiments utilizing large amounts of Pb shielding due to cosmogenic neutron interactions in the Pb while residing on the Earth's surface. By scaling the LANSCE neutron flux to a cosmic neutron flux, we measure the sea level cosmic ray production rates of 8.0 ± 1.3 atoms/kg/day of ¹⁹⁴Hg, 120 ± 25 atoms/kg/day ²⁰²Pb, and <0.17 ± 0.04 atoms/kg/day ²⁰⁷Bi.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	34-39
Number of pages	6
Journal	Astroparticle Physics
Volume	64
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.astropartphys.2014.11.002
State	Published - Apr 2015
Externally published	Yes

Funding

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics under Award Number DE-SCOO05054 , the LANL LDRD Program , and the DOE/NNSA Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship Program under Grant No. DE-FC52-08NA28752 . This work benefited from the use of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC52-06NA25396 . This work also benefited from our underground laboratory at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), which we operate with support from the Nuclear Physics office of the U.S. Department of Energy under contract number 2011LANLE9BW . Finally, we thank our friends and hosts at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) for their continuing support of our activities underground at that facility.

Funders	Funder number
DOE/NNSA	DE-AC52-06NA25396, 2011LANLE9BW
LANL LDRD
Office of Nuclear Physics	DE-SCOO05054
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Science

Keywords

Cosmic ray
Double-beta decay
Lead
Neutron activation

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10.1016/j.astropartphys.2014.11.002

Cite this

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title = "Fast-neutron activation of long-lived nuclides in natural Pb",

abstract = "We measured the production of the long-lived nuclides 207Bi, 202Pb, and 194Hg in a sample of natural Pb due to high-energy neutron interactions using a neutron beam at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. The activated sample was counted by a HPGe detector to measure the amount of radioactive nuclides present. These nuclides are critical in understanding potential backgrounds in low background experiments utilizing large amounts of Pb shielding due to cosmogenic neutron interactions in the Pb while residing on the Earth's surface. By scaling the LANSCE neutron flux to a cosmic neutron flux, we measure the sea level cosmic ray production rates of 8.0 ± 1.3 atoms/kg/day of 194Hg, 120 ± 25 atoms/kg/day 202Pb, and <0.17 ± 0.04 atoms/kg/day 207Bi.",

keywords = "Cosmic ray, Double-beta decay, Lead, Neutron activation",

author = "Guiseppe, {V. E.} and Elliott, {S. R.} and Fields, {N. E.} and D. Hixon",

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year = "2015",

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doi = "10.1016/j.astropartphys.2014.11.002",

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volume = "64",

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T1 - Fast-neutron activation of long-lived nuclides in natural Pb

AU - Guiseppe, V. E.

AU - Elliott, S. R.

AU - Fields, N. E.

AU - Hixon, D.

PY - 2015/4

Y1 - 2015/4

N2 - We measured the production of the long-lived nuclides 207Bi, 202Pb, and 194Hg in a sample of natural Pb due to high-energy neutron interactions using a neutron beam at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. The activated sample was counted by a HPGe detector to measure the amount of radioactive nuclides present. These nuclides are critical in understanding potential backgrounds in low background experiments utilizing large amounts of Pb shielding due to cosmogenic neutron interactions in the Pb while residing on the Earth's surface. By scaling the LANSCE neutron flux to a cosmic neutron flux, we measure the sea level cosmic ray production rates of 8.0 ± 1.3 atoms/kg/day of 194Hg, 120 ± 25 atoms/kg/day 202Pb, and <0.17 ± 0.04 atoms/kg/day 207Bi.

AB - We measured the production of the long-lived nuclides 207Bi, 202Pb, and 194Hg in a sample of natural Pb due to high-energy neutron interactions using a neutron beam at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. The activated sample was counted by a HPGe detector to measure the amount of radioactive nuclides present. These nuclides are critical in understanding potential backgrounds in low background experiments utilizing large amounts of Pb shielding due to cosmogenic neutron interactions in the Pb while residing on the Earth's surface. By scaling the LANSCE neutron flux to a cosmic neutron flux, we measure the sea level cosmic ray production rates of 8.0 ± 1.3 atoms/kg/day of 194Hg, 120 ± 25 atoms/kg/day 202Pb, and <0.17 ± 0.04 atoms/kg/day 207Bi.

KW - Cosmic ray

KW - Double-beta decay

KW - Lead

KW - Neutron activation

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DO - 10.1016/j.astropartphys.2014.11.002

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SN - 0927-6505

VL - 64

SP - 34

EP - 39

JO - Astroparticle Physics

JF - Astroparticle Physics

ER -

Fast-neutron activation of long-lived nuclides in natural Pb

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

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