Photonuclear reaction in ${67}^$Zn

Abstract

Mono-energetic $\gamma$-beams ($\Delata \approx$ 10 eV) based on thermal neutron capture, in a nuclear reactor, using the Mn(n, $\gamma$) reaction were utilized for generating a fast neutron source from Zinc, via the ${67}^Zn(\gamma, n)$ reaction. One of the incident $\gamma$-lines of the Mn source at $E_\gamma$ = 7244 keV, photoexcites by chance a resonance level in ${67}^$Zn, with subsequent emission of neutrons at an energy of 191 keV. The cross-section for this process was measured and found to be $\sigma(\gamma, n)$ = 252 $\pm$ 41 mb with an intensity of the order of 104 n/s. The angular distribution of the 191 keV neutron group was also measured.