Neutron Interactions

Neutron Interactions
neutrons essentially interact only with the
atomic nucleus
cross-sections can vary dramatically and
erratically based on complex interactions

between all the nucleons in the nucleus and
the incident neutron
huge effort and money has been spent to
measure these cross-sections for many

materials and a wide range of neutron
energies
Neutron Interactions
needed for shielding calculations and for many basic and
applied type s of research:
neutron scattering, crystal studies, DNA

neutron activation analysis
neutron radiography, paintings
weapons research, neutron bombs
nuclear structure
neutron depth profiling
neutron dosimetry
Sources of Neutrons
nuclear reactor most prolific source
energy spectrum from the fission of

from several keV to more than 10 MeV
most probable energy ~ 0.7 MeV
average energy ~ 2 MeV
there are no naturally occurring radioisotopes

which emit neutrons
235
U extends
Sources of Neutrons
1. one can manufacture a radioactive neutron source
by combining an alpha emitting radionuclide such
as 210Po, 226Ra or 239Pu with a light metal such as Be
or B
the reactions that follow are:
Be(, n)12C
10B(, n)13N
11B(, n)14N
9
there is a continuous energy spectrum
Sources of Neutrons (,n)

Source
Avg Neutron
Energy (MeV)
Half-Life
210
4.2
138 d
9 105
210
2.5
138 d
4 105
226
3.9
1602 yr
1.7 107
226
3.0
1602 yr
6.8 106
239
4.5
24,400 yr
PoBe
PoB
RaBe
RaB
PuBe
n
/ Ci
sec
1 106
Sources of Neutrons
3. Photoneutron sources using (,n) reactions
by choosing radioisotopes with a single -ray then
monoenergetic neutrons can be produced
the sources are produced in a reactor using
conventional (n,) reactions except for 226Ra
's then interact as follows:
Be(,n)8Be
2He(,n)1H
9
Sources of Neutrons
Source
Avg Neutron
Energy (MeV)
Half-Life
24
0.83
15 hr
1.35 105
24
0.22
15 hr
2.7 105
114
0.30
54 min
8.2 103
124
0.024
60 d
1.9 105
140
0.62
40 hr
3 103
226
0.7 (max)
1622 yr
1 103
NaBe
NaD2O
InBe
SbBe
LaBe
RaBe
n
/ Ci
sec
Sources of Neutrons
4. Accelerator Neutrons
particle accelerators are used to generate neutrons
by means of nuclear reactions such as: D-T, D-N, P-N
H(d,n)4He - Q-value = 17.6 MeV 14.1MeV neutrons

2
H(d,n)3He - Q-value = 3.27 MeV
Li(p,n)7Be - Q-value = 1.65 MeV
positive Q-values means the nuclear reaction can be
induced with only several hundred keV ions
Sources of Neutrons
5. Spontaneous Fission Sources
some heavy nuclei fission spontaneously emitting
neutrons
some sources include:
238
254
Cf,
252
Cf,
244
Cm,
242
Cm,
Pu and 232U
in most cases the half-life for spontaneous fission is
greater than alpha decay

254Cf decays almost completely by spontaneous
Sources of Neutrons
252Cf undergoes spontaneous nuclear fission at an
average rate of 10 fissions for every 313 alpha

transformations
half-life of
Cf due to alpha emission is 2.73 years

with spontaneous nuclear fission its effective halflife is 2.65 years
252
neutron emission rate is 2.31 106 neutrons per
second per microgram of 252Cf
emitted neutrons have a wide range of energies with
the most probable at ~ 1 MeV and the average value

~ 2.3 MeV
Classification of Neutrons
neutrons are classified according to their energy
thermal neutrons have an energy of about ~ 0.025 eV
epithermal
neutrons, resonance neutrons, slow

neutrons have energies between 0.01 MeV and 0.1
MeV
fast neutrons - 0.1 MeV and 20 MeV

relativistic neutrons
at thermal energies neutrons are indistinguishable from
gas molecules at the same temperature and follow the

Maxwell-Boltzman distribution:
f (E ) =
where:
E / kT 1/2
e
E
( kT )3/2
(E) = fraction of neutrons of energy

e/unit energy interval
k = Boltzman constant 10-23 J/K
T = absolute temperature K
most probable energy is:
Emp = kT
average energy at any given temperature is:
3
E kT
2
for neutrons at 293 K most probable
energy is 0.025 eV
velocity:
1
mv 2 = kT
2
v = 2200 m/ sec
neutron half-life is 10 minutes

cold neutrons are much slower
Interaction of Neutrons
neutrons are uncharged and can travel
appreciable distances in matter without

interacting
neutrons interact mostly by inelastic
scattering, elastic scattering and absorption
1. Inelastic scattering (n,n)
a part of the kinetic energy that is transferred to
the target nucleus upon collision

the nucleus becomes excited and a gamma
photon/photons are emitted:

12C(n,n)12C
this interaction is best described by the compound
nucleus model
a threshold exists for such interactions
infinity for hydrogen (inelastic scattering can not
occur) - 6 MeV for oxygen and less than 1 MeV for

uranium
cross-section for inelastic scattering is small,
usually less than 1 barn for low energy fast

neutrons but increases with increasing energy
1 barn = 10-24 cm2
2. Elastic scattering (n,n)
most
likely interaction between

neutrons and low atomic number z
fast
most important process for slowing down
neutrons
interaction is a billiard ball collision

scattering reactions are responsible for
neutron slowing in reactors
in general neutrons emitted in fission have
an average energy of 2 MeV
these fast neutrons lose K.E. as a result of
scattering collisions with nuclei which act as

moderators (eg - water, graphite)
n contrast cross-sections for inelastic
scattering are small for low energy fast

neutrons but increase with increasing energy
consider a neutron with energy Eo, mass M
and velocity V hitting a nucleus m:
.......E o , M, V m .......
(before collision)
.......E, M, V1 m , 1 .......
(after collision)
total kinetic energy and momentum are conserved
and we have:
1
2
MV 2 = 12 MV12 + 12 mv 12
and MV = MV1 + mv 1
solving for v1 and substituting into:
(M - m)
V1 =
V
(M + m)
1
2
E 0 MV for incident neutron
2
1
and E MV12 we get
2
Mm
E E0
M m
the
energy
nucleus is:
transferred
M-m
E0 - E = E0 1 -
M +m
to
target
1
2
E max = MV when: M = m;
1
2
2
MV1
4mME
(M + m )2
E = Emax
for neutrons in a head on collision with
hydrogen all the kinetic energy can be

transferred in one collision since the mass of
neutrons and protons are almost equal
important aspect in shielding for fast
neutrons, (paraffin wax, H2O) and also for

abundance of H in tissue; n-p scattering is
the dominant mechanism when neutrons
deliver a dose to tissue
Maximum Fraction of Energy Lost, Qmax/E by

Neutron in Single Elastic Collision with
Various Nuclei
Nucleus
Qmax/E
1.000
0.889
He
0.640
Be
0.360
0.284
0.221
Fe
0.069
Sn
0.033
0.017
4
9
12
16
56
118
238
3. Absorption / Radiative Capture (n,)
capture cross-sections for low energy neutrons
generally decreases as the reciprocal of the velocity

as the neutron energy increases
phenomenon called 1/v law

valid up to 1000 eV
if the capture cross-section 0 is known for a given
neutron velocity v0 or energy E0, then the crosssection at some other velocity v or energy E can be
estimated:
E0
v0
0 v
E
problem
the cross-section of for the 10B(n, )7Li
reaction is 753 barns for thermal (0.025 eV)
neutrons. What is the cross-section at 50 eV?
0.025
753
16.8 barns
50
Total Cross
Section of 238U
as with 's neutrons are also removed
exponentially when absorbers are placed in

front of them:
I= I0e-Nt
where:
= microscopic cross-section
N = no. of absorber atoms in atoms/cm3
t = thickness
neutron cross-section is strongly energy
dependent
problem:
a 1 cm thick lead absorber attenuated an
initial 10 MeV neutron beam to 84.5% of its

value
what is total cross-section given that the
atomic weight of Pb = 207.21 and its density

is 11.3 gm/cm3?
6.03 10 23 atoms/mole
3
atomic density
11.3 g/cm
207.21 g/mole
3.29 10 atoms/cm
22
I
Nt
=e
I0
0.845 = e
3.29 10 22 1
= 5.1 10-24 cm2

= 5.1 barns (microscopic cross-section)
macroscopic cross-section:
= N
= 5.1 10-24 cm2 3.29 1022 cm-3
= 0.168 cm-1
Neutron Activation
production of a radioactive isotope by the
absorption of a neutron, eg:
(n, ) (n,p) (n,) (n,n)

if NT target atoms with a cross-section cM2
are being neutron irradiated with a fluence of

n cm-2 sec-1 then the production rate of
daughter atoms is:
N T sec 1
Neutron Activation
the number of daughter atoms is N having a
decay constant
the rate of loss of daughter atoms is N

the rate of change is
dN
dt
in the number of daughter atoms presented
at any time while the target is bombarded is:
dN
= N T - N
dt
Neutron Activation
assume the neutron fluence rate is constant
and the original number of atoms is not being

excessively depleted so NT is constant:
let N = a + bet
be-t = NT -a -b e-t
both exponential terms cancel out
N T
a=
Neutron Activation
therefore the original solution is:
N T
N=
+ be t
the
constant b depends on the initial

conditions
at N = 0, t = 0 we get
- N T
b=
the final expression is:
Neutron Activation
N = N T 1 - e
where:
N - represents activity of daughter as a

function of t
Nt - is called saturation activity
representing maximum activity at
time t
when neutrons are not monoenergetic as in a
reactor, an average cross-section is used for
Neutron Activation
the previous equation is the activity just at the end
of production
if one is interested in the activity sometime later the
following terms must be added:
N = N T 1 - e
t i
where:
ti = irradiation time
td = decay time
te = counting time
e 1 - e
t d
t c
Neutron Activation
problem:
a certain radioisotope is produced by
neutron activation of a sample that contains

5 1022 target atoms with an activation cross
section of 2 barns
the neutron rate, 1011 cm-2 s-1, is constant

the half-life of the isotope is 8.5 hours.
a. calculate the saturation activity in Bq
Neutron Activation
the induced activity A as a function of time t

after starting the exposure is given by:
A= NT (1- e-t)
where:
= neutron fluence rate or flux density

= cross section
NT = no. of target atoms in sample
activity, starting with A=0 when t=0, builds up
as t increases
Neutron Activation
when t becomes very large exponential term in
above formula becomes negligibly small; and the

activity approaches its maximum, or saturation value
As = N T
= (10 11 cm 2 s 1 ) (2 barn)
(10 24 cm 2 barn 1 ) (5 10 22 )
= 10
10
= 10
10
Bq
Neutron Activation
b. calculate the activity reached after
exposure for 24 h
c. what fraction of the saturation activity is
reached at this time?
solution:
b. use with:
A = N T (1 - e
t = 24 h
Neutron Activation
decay constant is:
= ln 2/(8.5 h) = 0.0815 h
therefore:
10
A = 10 (1 - e
0.081524
) = 8.59 10 Bq
fraction of the saturation activity is:

9
A/A s = (8.59 10 ) / ( 10
10
) = 0.859
Neutron Activation
problem:
Three grams of 32S are irradiated with fast neutrons
having a fluence rate of 155 cm-2sec1 - cross-section is
0.200 barns and the half-life of 32P is 14.3 days
a. what is the maximum 32P activity that can be induced?
solution:
a. N T =
3
32
6.02 10 23 = 5.64 10 22
N T = (155 cm 2 sec 1 ) (0.2 10 24 cm 2 ) (5.64 10 22 )

= 1.75 sec 1
Neutron Activation
since there are 3.7 1010 disintegrations/
second/Curie
1.75
11
=
4.73
10
Ci
10
3.7 10
b. how many days are needed for the level of the activity to
reach 3/4 maximum?
solution:
b. time t needed to reach 3/4 of the value can be
calculated:
3
4
= 1 - e t
t 28.6 days
Neutron Activation
4. charged particle reactions (n,p) (n,)
- important in neutron dosimetry
5. neutron-producing reactions (n,2n)
- associated with high energy neutrons
- 14 MeV neutron accelerators
6. fission
- the binding energy per nucleon for
heavy elements (A > 230) decreases as the
atomic mass increases
Fission
when a thermal neutron is absorbed in
U (580
barns), 239Pu (747 barns) or 233U (525 barns)
vibrations in these nuclei cause them to split
(fission) under mutual electrostatic repulsion of
its parts
235
in general:
235
U(n, f )
n+
90
235
Kr
90
A1
143
Rb
X+
Ba +
90
A2
90
Sr
Y + xn
Kr + 3n
90
90
Zr
Distribution of Energy Among

Products Released by Fission of 235u
kinetic energy of charged fission fragments
162 MeV
fission neutrons
fission gamma rays
subsequent beta decay
subsequent gamma decay
neutrinos
11
total
195 MeV
Distribution of Energy Among

Products Released by Fission of 235U
the fission process is bimodal in distribution
all fission fragments are radioactive and there are
several steps before stable daughters are produced

decay
of the collective fission-product activity

following fission of a number of atoms is:
A 10-16 t-1.2 curies/fission
where t is in days
Neutron Reactions Important to

Health Physicists
H(nth,)2H
which releases a 2.22 MeV -ray that irradiates
the surrounding tissue
1
it is one of the two important interactions by
which thermal neutrons deposit energy in

tissue
often seen as a background gamma-ray in
power and research reactors

Health Physicists
3
He(nth,p)3H
which is the basis for the use of 3He as a gas in
several types of neutron proportional counters

6
Li(nth,t)4He or 6Li(nth,)3H
which releases a tritium nucleus (triton) and a helium
nucleus (alpha particle)

it is used in many neutron detection instruments,
including thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs)

Health Physicists
B(nth,)7Li
which is used in neutron shielding and as the basis
for neutron detectors utilizing BF3 gas or boron-lined
counter tubes
10
N(nth,p)14C
which releases 626 keV and contributes
approximately 1% of the total dose equivalent in soft
tissue for neutron energies less than 10 MeV
14
the absorbed dose is delivered locally at the
interaction site, since the ranges of the proton and

14C recoil nucleus are short

Health Physicists
23
Na(nth,)24Na
which activates human blood sodium

the decay of 24Na (half-life = 7 15 h; two 's of 100%
intensity: 1.37 and 2.75 MeV) can be used to quicksort personnel after a suspected criticality
32
S(nf,p)32p
which requires a neutron with a kinetic energy of at
least 2.7 MeV in order to react (an energy threshold)

this reaction is used in many threshold criticality
dosimeters

Health Physicists
Cd(nth,)114Cd
which is used in neutron shielding and reactor
control rods
113
In(nth,)116mIn
which is the basis for the popular indium foils used
in many criticality dosimeters
115
Au(nth,)198Au
used for criticality monitoring (gold foils)
197

Health Physicists
235
U(nth,f)
which releases approximately 200 MeV of
energy during the fission (f) process

fission in
neutrons
U can also be caused by fast
235

Neutron Interactions - Week 2 Wednesday Lecture

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neutrons essentially interact only with the

cross-sections can vary dramatically and

erratically based on complex interactions

huge effort and money has been spent to

measure these cross-sections for many

applied type s of research:

neutron scattering, crystal studies, DNA

nuclear reactor most prolific source

energy spectrum from the fission of

most probable energy ~ 0.7 MeV

average energy ~ 2 MeV

there are no naturally occurring radioisotopes

there is a continuous energy spectrum

Sources of Neutrons (,n)

monoenergetic neutrons can be produced

the sources are produced in a reactor using

conventional (n,) reactions except for 226Ra

's then interact as follows:

by means of nuclear reactions such as: D-T, D-N, P-N

H(d,n)4He - Q-value = 17.6 MeV 14.1MeV neutrons

H(d,n)3He - Q-value = 3.27 MeV

Li(p,n)7Be - Q-value = 1.65 MeV

positive Q-values means the nuclear reaction can be

induced with only several hundred keV ions

in most cases the half-life for spontaneous fission is

greater than alpha decay

average rate of 10 fissions for every 313 alpha

Cf due to alpha emission is 2.73 years

neutron emission rate is 2.31 106 neutrons per

second per microgram of 252Cf

emitted neutrons have a wide range of energies with

the most probable at ~ 1 MeV and the average value

neutrons, resonance neutrons, slow

fast neutrons - 0.1 MeV and 20 MeV

gas molecules at the same temperature and follow the

(E) = fraction of neutrons of energy

neutron half-life is 10 minutes

appreciable distances in matter without

scattering, elastic scattering and absorption

the target nucleus upon collision

photon/photons are emitted:

occur) - 6 MeV for oxygen and less than 1 MeV for

usually less than 1 barn for low energy fast

1 barn = 10-24 cm2

likely interaction between

most important process for slowing down

interaction is a billiard ball collision

neutron slowing in reactors

an average energy of 2 MeV

these fast neutrons lose K.E. as a result of

scattering collisions with nuclei which act as

n contrast cross-sections for inelastic

scattering are small for low energy fast

consider a neutron with energy Eo, mass M

and velocity V hitting a nucleus m:

for neutrons in a head on collision with

hydrogen all the kinetic energy can be

neutrons, (paraffin wax, H2O) and also for

Maximum Fraction of Energy Lost, Qmax/E by

generally decreases as the reciprocal of the velocity

phenomenon called 1/v law

exponentially when absorbers are placed in