Cross section and isomeric ratio measurements along with covariance analysis for the (n,2n) reactions on 120,130Te

In this report, the cross sections of nuclear reactions ¹²⁰Te(n,2n)^119m,gTe and ¹³⁰Te(n,2n)^129m,gTe induced by d-T neutrons and their isomeric ratios (σ_m/σ_g) were measured. The pure ground state cross section (σ_g, for ¹³⁰Te) deducted the effect from its isomeric transition. The off-line gamma-spectrum technique in conjunction with a high purity germanium (HPGe) detector was utilized to obtain the activity of the product radionuclides. The experiments were performed at the China Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP). The K-400 neutron generator was used to produce neutrons with an energy of 13–15 MeV. The neutron fluence was monitored using the nuclear reaction ⁹³Nb(n,2n)^92mNb, which had a threshold energy that was similar to the reaction under study. A detailed covariance analysis was carried out for the cross sections of nuclear reactions ¹²⁰Te(n,2n)^119m,gTe and ¹³⁰Te(n,2n)^129m,gTe. All the measured cross sections were also determined using the theoretical calculation program TALYS-1.96 code with six level density models. The measured cross section values were compared with the results reported in the literature, along with the theoretical estimates and the evaluation results.