Measurements of isomeric cross sections for (n,α) reaction on ¹⁴⁴Sm isotope for neutrons around 14 MeV

In this study, the activation cross sections were, first, measured for the ¹⁴⁴Sm(n,α)141^mNd reaction at six different neutron energies from 13.57 to 14.83 MeV. The fast neutrons were produced by using a neutron generator, through the ³H(²H,n)⁴He reaction. The cyclic activation technique was used as the irradiation and counting method. Induced gamma activities were measured using a high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometer equipped with a high-purity germanium detector. In the cross-section measurements, corrections were made regarding the effects of gamma-ray attenuation, dead time, fluctuation of neutron flux, and low-energy neutrons. The measured cross sections were compared with the results of model calculations (TALYS code).