Revised Cross Section of the $^{13}$C($\alpha$,n)$^{16}$O reaction between 5 and 8 MeV

Abstract

As suggested in a Comment by Peters, Phys.\ Rev.\ C {\bf 96}, 029801 (2017), a correction is applied to the $^{13}$C($\alpha$,n)$^{16}$O data of Harissopulos {\it et al.}, Phys.\ Rev.\ C {\bf 72}, 062801(R) (2005). The correction refers to the energy-dependent efficiency of the neutron detector and appears only above the ($\alpha$,n$_1$) threshold of the $^{13}$C($\alpha$,n)$^{16}$O reaction at about $E_\alpha \approx 5$ MeV. The corrected data are lower than the original data by almost a factor of two. The correction method is verified using recent neutron spectroscopy data and data from the reverse $^{16}$O(n,$\alpha$)$^{13}$C reaction.