Measurement of ^58 co( n , xp ) cross sections by a surrogate method

The cross sections for ^58 Co( n , xp ) reactions have been determined in the equivalent neutron energy range of 11.7–16.8 MeV by employing the surrogate reaction ratio method and using the cross-section values for the reference reaction ^60 Ni( n , xp ) from the literature. The transfer reactions ^57 Fe( ^6 Li, α ) at E_lab = 37 MeV and ^59 Co( ^6 Li, α ) at E_lab = 33 MeV, are used to populate compound nuclei ^59 Co ^* (surrogate of n + ^58 Co) and ^61 Ni ^* (surrogate of n + ^60 Ni), respectively, at similar excitation energies. The evaporated protons at backward angles measured in coincidence with the projectile-like fragment alpha provide the proton decay probabilities of the compound nuclei. The cross sections estimated using the nuclear-reactions-model code talys -1.96 are consistent with the experimental ^58 Co( n , xp ) data for the entire neutron energy range. However, the predictions of the evaluated data libraries endf/b-viii , jeff -3.3, jendl -5, rosfond -2010 and tendl -2019 overestimate the present experimental data, indicating the necessity to improve the model parameters of the data libraries for this reaction.