Measurement of the neutron capture cross section of the fissile isotope 235U with the CERN n_TOF total absorption calorimeter and a fission tagging based on micromegas detectors
Current and future nuclear technologies require more accurate nuclear data on (n,γ) cross sections
and the α-ratios of fissile isotopes. Their measurement presents several difficulties, mainly related
to the strong fission γ-ray background competing with the weaker γ-ray cascades used as the experimental
signature of the (n,γ) process. A specific setup was used at the CERN n TOF facility
in 2012 for the measurement of the (n,γ) cross section and α-ratios of fissile isotopes and used for
the case of the 235U isotope. The setup consists of a set of micromegas fission detectors surrounding
the 235U samples all placed inside a segmented BaF2 Total Absorption Calorimeter.