Measurement of the neutron cross section on argon between 95 and 720 MeV

(CAPTAIN Collaboration)

doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.107.072009

Measurement of the neutron cross section on argon between 95 and 720 MeV

(CAPTAIN Collaboration)

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Abstract

We report an extended measurement of the neutron cross section on argon in the energy range of 95-720 MeV. The measurement was obtained with a 4.3-hour exposure of the Mini-CAPTAIN detector to the WNR/LANSCE beam at LANL. Compared to an earlier analysis of the same data, this extended analysis includes a reassessment of systematic uncertainties, in particular related to unused wires in the upstream part of the detector. Using this information we doubled the fiducial volume in the experiment and increased the statistics by a factor of 2.4. We also shifted the analysis from energy bins to time-of-flight bins. This change reduced the overall considered energy range, but improved the understanding of the energy spectrum of incoming neutrons in each bin. Overall, the new measurements are extracted from a fit to the attenuation of the neutron flux in five time-of-flight regions: 140-180 ns, 120-140 ns, 112-120 ns, 104-112 ns, 96-104 ns. The final cross sections are given for the flux-averaged energy in each time-of-flight bin with statistical and systematic (syst) uncertainties: σ(146 MeV)=0.60-0.14+0.14±0.08(syst) b, σ(236 MeV)=0.72-0.10+0.10±0.04(syst) b, σ(319 MeV)=0.80-0.12+0.13±0.040(syst) b, σ(404 MeV)=0.74-0.09+0.14±0.04(syst) b, σ(543 MeV)=0.74-0.09+0.09±0.04(syst) b.

Original language	English
Article number	072009
Journal	Physical Review D
Volume	107
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.107.072009
State	Published - Apr 1 2023
Externally published	Yes

Funding

Research presented in this paper was supported by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program of Los Alamos National Laboratory under Projects No. 20120101DR and No. 20150577ER. This work benefited from the use of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, funded by the US Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25396 and we would like to thank Nik Fotiadis, Hye Young Lee and Steve Wender for assistance with the 4FP15R beamline. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Mark Makela and the P25 neutron team. D. L. D. acknowledges his support as a Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Fellow, holding the Barbara Ann Canavan Fellowship. We further acknowledge the support of the US Department of Energy, Office of High Energy Physics and the University of Pennsylvania.

Funders	Funder number
Barbara Ann Canavan Fellowship
Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Fellow
U.S. Department of Energy	DE-AC52-06NA25396
High Energy Physics
University of Pennsylvania
Laboratory Directed Research and Development
Los Alamos National Laboratory	20120101DR, 20150577ER

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10.1103/PhysRevD.107.072009

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@article{70d1df7f33b748dcbf32a9ec63237ee8,

title = "Measurement of the neutron cross section on argon between 95 and 720 MeV",

abstract = "We report an extended measurement of the neutron cross section on argon in the energy range of 95-720 MeV. The measurement was obtained with a 4.3-hour exposure of the Mini-CAPTAIN detector to the WNR/LANSCE beam at LANL. Compared to an earlier analysis of the same data, this extended analysis includes a reassessment of systematic uncertainties, in particular related to unused wires in the upstream part of the detector. Using this information we doubled the fiducial volume in the experiment and increased the statistics by a factor of 2.4. We also shifted the analysis from energy bins to time-of-flight bins. This change reduced the overall considered energy range, but improved the understanding of the energy spectrum of incoming neutrons in each bin. Overall, the new measurements are extracted from a fit to the attenuation of the neutron flux in five time-of-flight regions: 140-180 ns, 120-140 ns, 112-120 ns, 104-112 ns, 96-104 ns. The final cross sections are given for the flux-averaged energy in each time-of-flight bin with statistical and systematic (syst) uncertainties: σ(146 MeV)=0.60-0.14+0.14±0.08(syst) b, σ(236 MeV)=0.72-0.10+0.10±0.04(syst) b, σ(319 MeV)=0.80-0.12+0.13±0.040(syst) b, σ(404 MeV)=0.74-0.09+0.14±0.04(syst) b, σ(543 MeV)=0.74-0.09+0.09±0.04(syst) b.",

author = "{(CAPTAIN Collaboration)} and S. Martynenko and B. Bhandari and J. Bian and K. Bilton and C. Callahan and J. Chaves and H. Chen and D. Cline and Cooper, {R. L.} and Danielson, {D. L.} and J. Danielson and N. Dokania and S. Elliott and S. Fernandes and S. Gardiner and G. Garvey and V. Gehman and F. Giuliani and S. Glavin and M. Gold and C. Grant and E. Guardincerri and T. Haines and A. Higuera and Ji, {J. Y.} and R. Kadel and N. Kamp and A. Karlin and W. Ketchum and Koerner, {L. W.} and D. Lee and K. Lee and Q. Liu and S. Locke and Louis, {W. C.} and J. Maricic and E. Martin and Martinez, {M. J.} and C. Mauger and C. McGrew and J. Medina and Medina, {P. J.} and A. Mills and G. Mills and J. Mirabal-Martinez and A. Olivier and E. Pantic and B. Philipbar and C. Pitcher and J. Ramsey",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 American Physical Society.",

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day = "1",

doi = "10.1103/PhysRevD.107.072009",

language = "English",

volume = "107",

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T1 - Measurement of the neutron cross section on argon between 95 and 720 MeV

AU - (CAPTAIN Collaboration)

AU - Martynenko, S.

AU - Bhandari, B.

AU - Bian, J.

AU - Bilton, K.

AU - Callahan, C.

AU - Chaves, J.

AU - Chen, H.

AU - Cline, D.

AU - Cooper, R. L.

AU - Danielson, D. L.

AU - Danielson, J.

AU - Dokania, N.

AU - Elliott, S.

AU - Fernandes, S.

AU - Gardiner, S.

AU - Garvey, G.

AU - Gehman, V.

AU - Giuliani, F.

AU - Glavin, S.

AU - Gold, M.

AU - Grant, C.

AU - Guardincerri, E.

AU - Haines, T.

AU - Higuera, A.

AU - Ji, J. Y.

AU - Kadel, R.

AU - Kamp, N.

AU - Karlin, A.

AU - Ketchum, W.

AU - Koerner, L. W.

AU - Lee, D.

AU - Lee, K.

AU - Liu, Q.

AU - Locke, S.

AU - Louis, W. C.

AU - Maricic, J.

AU - Martin, E.

AU - Martinez, M. J.

AU - Mauger, C.

AU - McGrew, C.

AU - Medina, J.

AU - Medina, P. J.

AU - Mills, A.

AU - Mills, G.

AU - Mirabal-Martinez, J.

AU - Olivier, A.

AU - Pantic, E.

AU - Philipbar, B.

AU - Pitcher, C.

AU - Ramsey, J.

PY - 2023/4/1

Y1 - 2023/4/1

N2 - We report an extended measurement of the neutron cross section on argon in the energy range of 95-720 MeV. The measurement was obtained with a 4.3-hour exposure of the Mini-CAPTAIN detector to the WNR/LANSCE beam at LANL. Compared to an earlier analysis of the same data, this extended analysis includes a reassessment of systematic uncertainties, in particular related to unused wires in the upstream part of the detector. Using this information we doubled the fiducial volume in the experiment and increased the statistics by a factor of 2.4. We also shifted the analysis from energy bins to time-of-flight bins. This change reduced the overall considered energy range, but improved the understanding of the energy spectrum of incoming neutrons in each bin. Overall, the new measurements are extracted from a fit to the attenuation of the neutron flux in five time-of-flight regions: 140-180 ns, 120-140 ns, 112-120 ns, 104-112 ns, 96-104 ns. The final cross sections are given for the flux-averaged energy in each time-of-flight bin with statistical and systematic (syst) uncertainties: σ(146 MeV)=0.60-0.14+0.14±0.08(syst) b, σ(236 MeV)=0.72-0.10+0.10±0.04(syst) b, σ(319 MeV)=0.80-0.12+0.13±0.040(syst) b, σ(404 MeV)=0.74-0.09+0.14±0.04(syst) b, σ(543 MeV)=0.74-0.09+0.09±0.04(syst) b.

AB - We report an extended measurement of the neutron cross section on argon in the energy range of 95-720 MeV. The measurement was obtained with a 4.3-hour exposure of the Mini-CAPTAIN detector to the WNR/LANSCE beam at LANL. Compared to an earlier analysis of the same data, this extended analysis includes a reassessment of systematic uncertainties, in particular related to unused wires in the upstream part of the detector. Using this information we doubled the fiducial volume in the experiment and increased the statistics by a factor of 2.4. We also shifted the analysis from energy bins to time-of-flight bins. This change reduced the overall considered energy range, but improved the understanding of the energy spectrum of incoming neutrons in each bin. Overall, the new measurements are extracted from a fit to the attenuation of the neutron flux in five time-of-flight regions: 140-180 ns, 120-140 ns, 112-120 ns, 104-112 ns, 96-104 ns. The final cross sections are given for the flux-averaged energy in each time-of-flight bin with statistical and systematic (syst) uncertainties: σ(146 MeV)=0.60-0.14+0.14±0.08(syst) b, σ(236 MeV)=0.72-0.10+0.10±0.04(syst) b, σ(319 MeV)=0.80-0.12+0.13±0.040(syst) b, σ(404 MeV)=0.74-0.09+0.14±0.04(syst) b, σ(543 MeV)=0.74-0.09+0.09±0.04(syst) b.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85158896272&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevD.107.072009

DO - 10.1103/PhysRevD.107.072009

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85158896272

SN - 2470-0010

VL - 107

JO - Physical Review D

JF - Physical Review D

IS - 7

M1 - 072009

ER -

Measurement of the neutron cross section on argon between 95 and 720 MeV

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