<p>Fission is the most important nuclear reaction for society at large today due to its use in energy production. However, this has raised the problem of how to treat the long-lived radioactive waste from nuclear reactors. A radical solution would be to change the composition of the waste into stable or short-lived nuclides, which could be done through nuclear transmutation. Such a concept requires accelerator-driven systems to be designed, where those for transmutation are reactor hybrids. This thesis is a contribution to the knowledge base for developing transmutation systems, specifically with respect to the computational modeling of the underlying nuclear reactions, induced by the incident and secondary particles. Intermediate energy fission cross sections are one important type of such data. Moreover, they are essential for understanding the fission process itself and related nuclear interactions. </p><p>The experimental part of this work was performed at the neutron beam facility of the The Svedberg Laboratory in Uppsala. Fission cross sections of ²³⁸U, ²⁰⁹Bi, ^natPb, ²⁰⁸Pb, ¹⁹⁷Au, ^natW, and ¹⁸¹Ta were measured for neutrons in the range <i>E</i>_n = 30-160 MeV using thin-film breakdown counters for the fission fragment detection. A model was developed for the determination of the efficiency of such detectors. </p><p>A compilation of existing data on proton-induced fission cross sections for nuclei from ¹⁶⁵Ho to ²³⁹Pu was performed. The results, which constitute the main body of information in this field, were added to the worldwide EXFOR database. The dependences of the cross sections on incident energy and target nucleus were studied, which resulted in systematics that make it possible to give estimates for unmeasured nuclides. </p><p>Nucleon-induced fission cross sections were calculated using an extended version of the cascade exciton model. A comparison with the systematics and the experimental data obtained in the present work revealed significant discrepancies. A modification of the model was made that significantly improved the predictions. </p>

A facility for studies of elastic neutron scattering in the 50–130 MeV range has been developed. In addition to elastic neutron scattering, it has been used for (n,p) and (n,d) reaction experiments. The performance of the device has been illustrated in measurements of the (n,p) and (n,n) cross sections on 1H and 12C. Elastic neutron scattering from 12C and 208Pb has been studied at 96 MeV in the 10–70 degree interval. The achieved energy resolution, 3.7 MeV, is about one order of magnitude better than for any previous experiment above 65 MeV incident energy. The present experiment represents the highest neutron energy where the ground state has been resolved from the first excited state in neutron scattering. A novel method for normalization of the absolute scale of the cross section has been used. The estimated normalization uncertainty, 3 %, is unprecedented for a neutron-induced differential cross section measurement on a nuclear target. The results are compared with modern optical model predictions, based on phenomenology or microscopic nuclear theory. The data on 208Pb are in general in good agreement with the theory models. All theory models fail to describe the 12C data in the 30–50 degree interval, where the models predict a saddle structure not displayed by the present experimental data. Various reasons for this discrepancy have been investigated. For the other parts of the angular range studied, the agreement is good. These measurements have to a large degree been motivated by needs in various application areas, i.e., nuclear waste incineration by fast neutrons and biomedical effects caused by neutrons. The implications of the present results on these applications are discussed.

Fission is the most important nuclear reaction for society at large today due to its use in energy production. However, this has raised the problem of how to treat the long-lived radioactive waste from nuclear reactors. A radical solution would be to change the composition of the waste into stable or short-lived nuclides, which could be done through nuclear transmutation. Such a concept requires accelerator-driven systems to be designed, where those for transmutation are reactor hybrids. This thesis is a contribution to the knowledge base for developing transmutation systems, specifically with respect to the computational modeling of the underlying nuclear reactions, induced by the incident and secondary particles. Intermediate energy fission cross sections are one important type of such data. Moreover, they are essential for understanding the fission process itself and related nuclear interactions. The experimental part of this work was performed at the neutron beam facility of the The Svedberg Laboratory in Uppsala. Fission cross sections of 238U, 209Bi, natPb, 208Pb, 197Au, natW, and 181Ta were measured for neutrons in the range En = 30-160 MeV using thin-film breakdown counters for the fission fragment detection. A model was developed for the determination of the efficiency of such detectors. A compilation of existing data on proton-induced fission cross sections for nuclei from 165Ho to 239Pu was performed. The results, which constitute the main body of information in this field, were added to the worldwide EXFOR database. The dependences of the cross sections on incident energy and target nucleus were studied, which resulted in systematics that make it possible to give estimates for unmeasured nuclides. Nucleon-induced fission cross sections were calculated using an extended version of the cascade exciton model. A comparison with the systematics and the experimental data obtained in the present work revealed significant discrepancies. A modification of the model was made that significantly improved the predictions.

The fuel assemblies used at the Swedish nuclear power plants contain typically between 100 and 300 fuel rods. An experimental technique has been demanded for determining the relative activities of specific isotopes in individual fuel rods without dismantling the assemblies. The purpose is to validate production codes, which requires an experimental relative accuracy of &lt;2 % (1 σ). Therefore, a new, non-destructive tomographic measurement technique for irradiated nuclear fuel assemblies has been developed. The technique includes two main steps: (1) the gamma-ray flux distribution around the assembly is recorded, and (2) the interior gamma-ray source distribution in the assembly is reconstructed. The use of detailed gamma-ray transport calculations in the reconstruction procedure enables accurate determination of the relative rod-by-rod source distribution. To investigate the accuracy achievable, laboratory equipment has been constructed, including a fuel model with a well-known distribution of 137Cs. Furthermore, an instrument has been constructed and built for in-pool measurements on irradiated fuel assemblies at nuclear power plants. Using the laboratory equipment, a relative accuracy of 1.2 % was obtained (1 σ). The measurements on irradiated fuel resulted in a repeatability of 0.8 %, showing the accuracy that can be achieved using this instrument. The agreement between rod-by-rod data obtained in calculations using the POLCA–7 production code and measured data was 3.1 % (1 σ). Additionally, there is a safeguards interest in the tomographic technique for verifying that no fissile material has been diverted from fuel assemblies, i.e. that no fuel rods have been removed or replaced. The applicability has been demonstrated in a measurement on a spent fuel assembly. Furthermore, detection of both the removal of a rod as well as the replacement with a non-active rod has been investigated in detail and quantitatively established using the laboratory equipment.

Reaction cross sections were measured for protons at 65.5 MeV, for deuterons at 37.8, 65.5, 97.4 MeV, for 3He at 96.4, 137.8, 167.3 MeV, and for 4He at 69.6, 117.2, 163.9 and 192.4 MeV. Targets were 9Be, 12C, 16O, 28Si, 40,48Ca, 58,60Ni, 112,116,118,120,124Sn and 208Pb. 48Ca and 118Sn targets were used only for some of the measurements. Rest of the targets have been measured for all energies and projectiles but 4He at 69.6 MeV where reaction cross sections were measured for 9Be, 12C, 16O, 28Si, 40Ca targets. A modification of a standard attenuation technique was used. Details of the experimental design are presented. Experimental uncertainties were 2-3% for p, 3% for d and 3-10% for 3,4He. A strong forward peaking of the reaction products was observed for 3,4He. Therefore the standard reaction cross section measurement technique was not applicable for these projectiles. The forward peaking is also responsible for the increase of experimental uncertainties for these projectiles. The forward peaking of the reaction products is not known for other projectiles and has also not been observed with 3,4He at different - both higher and lower - energies. Possible explanations for this phenomenon are discussed. Optical model calculations of the reaction cross sections are in good agreement with the measured values. The measurements were performed with beams from the Gustav Werner cyclotron at the The Svedberg Laboratory, Uppsala.

The reaction cross section gives the probability that a particle will undergo a nonelastic process when passing through a nuclear medium. Therefore reaction cross section data are of importance both for theoretical studies and for applications in such diverse fields as medicine, biology, astrophysics and accelerator-driven transmutation of nuclear waste. There exist many data sets with angular distributions of elastic scattering, but very few measurements of the complementary reaction cross section have been performed. The measurement is in principle simple but has in practice proved to be very difficult to perform, and the relatively limited amount of experimental data displays some serious inconsistencies. Results from measurements of reaction cross sections are presented for: • 3He on 9Be, 12C, 16O, 28Si, 40Ca, 58,60Ni, 112,116,118,120,124Sn and 208Pb at 96, 138 and 167 MeV • protons on 12C, 40Ca, 90Zr and 208Pb at six energies in the energy range 80-180 MeV, and on 58Ni at 81 MeV. Experimental uncertainties were 3-9% for 3He and 1.5-8% for protons. The apparatus and the experimental method used for the measurements of reaction cross sections, using a modified attenuation technique, is described. The detection method enables simultaneous measurements of reaction cross sections for five different sizes of the solid angles in steps from 99.0 to 99.8% of the total solid angle. The final results are obtained by extrapolation to the full solid angle. Experimental results are compared with predictions from optical model calculations using phenomenological global optical potentials. Phenomenological parametrizations of reaction cross sections for scattering of projectiles on targets are presented. The parametrizations show that reaction cross sections are very sensitive to matter distributions at very large radii of both the projectile and the target. For protons the derived relations makes it possible to predict the reaction cross sections on targets for which no experimental data exist.

<p>A beam of 250A MeV ¹⁷O ions was scattered from argon and xenon targets. The large excess of fast neutrons compared with statistical model calculations that was observed earlier for xenon, was confirmed and found for argon as well. Analysis and calculations show that a considerable fraction of these neutrons can be interpreted as coming from direct knock-out reactions.</p><p>The angular distributions do not support the suggestion of using fast heavy ion scattering as a probe for the study of the neutron skin in nuclei. While the basic idea that a heavy projectile tends to sample the neutron wave function near the surface of the nucleus is sound, the measured neutron distribution is not as distinct as suggested by the previous experiment. This makes it difficult to distinguish direct reactions from other channels, such as semi-direct decay of giant resonances.</p><p>The improvements in the experimental methods have made the concept of using the CELSIUS storage and cooler ring as an internal magnetic spectrometer attractive for other of experiments presently being prepared.</p>

<p>Two aspects of applied nuclear physics have been studied in this thesis; Monte Carlo simulations for high-sensitivity monitoring of radioactive xenon and high-accuracy neutron-proton scattering measurements for neutron physics applications and fundamental physics.</p><p>The Monte Carlo simulations have been performed for two systems for detection of radioactive xenon, using the MCNP code. These systems, designed for monitoring of violations of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, are based on coincident detection of electrons and gamma rays, emitted in beta decay of xenon nuclides produced in nuclear weapons explosions. In general, the simulations describe test data well, and the deviations from experimental data are understood. </p><p>The neutron-proton scattering measurements have been performed by measuring the differential <i>np</i> scattering cross section at 96 MeV in the angular range θ_c.m.= 20° – 76°. Together with an earlier data set at the same energy, covering the angles θ_c.m.= 74° – 180°, a new data set has been formed in the angular range θ_c.m.= 20° – 180°. This extended data set has been normalised to the experimental total <i>np</i> cross section, resulting in a renormalisation of the earlier data of 0.7 %, which is well within the stated normalisation uncertainty for that experiment. The results on forward <i>np</i> scattering are in reasonable agreement with theory models and partial wave analyses and have been compared with data from the literature.</p>

Two aspects of applied nuclear physics have been studied in this thesis; Monte Carlo simulations for high-sensitivity monitoring of radioactive xenon and high-accuracy neutron-proton scattering measurements for neutron physics applications and fundamental physics. The Monte Carlo simulations have been performed for two systems for detection of radioactive xenon, using the MCNP code. These systems, designed for monitoring of violations of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, are based on coincident detection of electrons and gamma rays, emitted in beta decay of xenon nuclides produced in nuclear weapons explosions. In general, the simulations describe test data well, and the deviations from experimental data are understood. The neutron-proton scattering measurements have been performed by measuring the differential np scattering cross section at 96 MeV in the angular range θc.m.= 20° – 76°. Together with an earlier data set at the same energy, covering the angles θc.m.= 74° – 180°, a new data set has been formed in the angular range θc.m.= 20° – 180°. This extended data set has been normalised to the experimental total np cross section, resulting in a renormalisation of the earlier data of 0.7 %, which is well within the stated normalisation uncertainty for that experiment. The results on forward np scattering are in reasonable agreement with theory models and partial wave analyses and have been compared with data from the literature.

A beam of 250A MeV 17O ions was scattered from argon and xenon targets. The large excess of fast neutrons compared with statistical model calculations that was observed earlier for xenon, was confirmed and found for argon as well. Analysis and calculations show that a considerable fraction of these neutrons can be interpreted as coming from direct knock-out reactions. The angular distributions do not support the suggestion of using fast heavy ion scattering as a probe for the study of the neutron skin in nuclei. While the basic idea that a heavy projectile tends to sample the neutron wave function near the surface of the nucleus is sound, the measured neutron distribution is not as distinct as suggested by the previous experiment. This makes it difficult to distinguish direct reactions from other channels, such as semi-direct decay of giant resonances. The improvements in the experimental methods have made the concept of using the CELSIUS storage and cooler ring as an internal magnetic spectrometer attractive for other of experiments presently being prepared.