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<p> </p><p>Radioactive waste has been accumulated at CERN as unavoidable consequence of the use of particle accelerators. The elimination of this waste towards the final repositories in France and Switzerland requires the determination of the radionuclide inventory. In order to calculate the residual induced radioactivity in the waste, it is necessary to determine the spectra of secondary particles which are responsible for the material activation. In complex irradiation environments like in an accelerator tunnel it is expected that the secondary particle spectra vary with the characteristics of the machine components in a given section of tunnel. In order to obtain the production rates of the radionuclides of interest the spectra of secondary particles are to be folded with the appropriate cross sections. Though technically feasible, it would be impractical to calculate the particle spectra in every area of any machine and for all possible beam loss mechanisms. Moreover, a fraction of the waste has unknown radiological history, which makes it impossible to associate an item of waste to a precise area of the machine. Therefore it is useful to try to calculate “representative spectra”, which shall apply to a relatively large part of the accelerator complex at CERN. This thesis is dedicated to the calculation of representative spectra in the arcs of the 450 GeV proton synchrotron, SPS, at CERN. The calculations have been performed using the Monte Carlo code FLUKA. Extensive simulations have been done to assess the dependence of proton, neutron and pion spectra on beam energy, size of the nearby machine component and position with respect to the beam-loss point. The results obtained suggest that it is possible to define one single set of representative spectra for all the arcs of the SPS accelerator, with a minor error associated with the use of these. </p><p> </p>

<p>High-precision differential cross section data of the neutron-deuteron elastic scattering reaction at 95 MeV are presented. The neutron-proton scattering differential cross section was also measured and used as a reference to allow an accurate absolute normalization of the neutron-deuteron data.</p><p>Two multi-detector arrays were used, MEDLEY and SCANDAL, at the neutron beam facility at The Svedberg Laboratory in Uppsala. Three different configurations of the detectors allowed to perform three independent measurements. The first experiment involved detecting recoil deuterons from thin deuterated polyethylene targets with the MEDLEY setup and allowed a large angular coverage. In the second experiment, high-precision data were obtained at neutron backward angles, using the SCANDAL setup with the same technique. For the third experiment, data were obtained in the forward angular range using the SCANDAL setup with a technique where neutrons scattered on heavy water were detected by neutron-proton conversion in plastic scintillators and tracking the protons through the detectors. Events from elastic neutron-deuteron scattering were identified in the data analysis, and differential cross sections were obtained after applying corrections and evaluating systematic uncertainties due to effects which could affect the shape or the absolute normalization of the data.</p><p>The results are compared with modern Faddeev calculations using realistic nucleon-nucleon potentials combined with three-nucleon interactions. The effects of three-nucleon forces are expected to increase the differential cross section by about 30% in the region of the minimum. The data agree with this prediction, thus providing evidence for three-nucleon force effects.</p>

<p>Nuclear energy is currently one of the world’s main sources of electricity. Closely connected to the use of nuclear energy are important issues such as the nonproliferation of fissile material that may potentially used in nuclear weapons (safeguards), and the management of the highly radioactive nuclear waste. This thesis addresses both these issues by contributing to the development of new experimental methods for ensuring safe and secure handling of the waste, with focus on methods to be used prior to encapsulation and final storage.</p><p>The methods rely on high resolution gamma ray spectroscopy (HRGS), involving the measurement and analysis of emitted gamma radiation from the fission products ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs and ¹⁵⁴Eu. This technique is nondestructive, making it relatively nonintrusive with respect to the normal operation of the nuclear facilities.</p><p>For the safeguards issue, it is important to experimentally verify the presence and identity of nuclear fuel assemblies and also that the fuel has experienced normal, civilian reactor operation. It has been shown in this thesis that the HRGS method may be used for verifying operator declared fuel parameters such as burnup, cooling time and irradiation history. In the experimental part of the work, the burnup and the cooling time has been determined with an accuracy of 1.6% and 1.5%, respectively (1 σ).</p><p>A technique has also been demonstrated, utilizing the ratio ¹³⁴Cs/¹⁵⁴Eu, with which it is possible to determine whether a fuel assembly is of MOX or LEU type. This is of interest for safeguards as well as for the safe operation of a final storage facility.</p><p>As an improvement to the HRGS technique, measuring a part of the fuel assembly length in order to reduce measurement time has been suggested and investigated. A theoretical case for partial defect verification has also been studied as an extension of the HRGS technique. </p><p>Finally, HRGS has been used for determining the decay heat in spent nuclear fuel assemblies, which is of importance for the safe operation of a final storage facility. This application is based on the radiation from ¹³⁷Cs, and the accuracy demonstrated was within 3% (1 σ).</p>

<p>The study of high power fusion plasmas at the JET tokamak has been further enhanced through the development of instrumentation for neutron emission spectroscopy (NES) measurements. This has involved the upgrade of the magnetic proton recoil (MPR) spectrometer used for deuterium-tritium plasmas earlier so that the MPRu can now be also employed for deuterium (D) plasmas. A neutron time-of-flight (TOF) spectrometer designed for optimized rate (TOFOR) has been constructed and put into operation. The MPRu and TOFOR spectrometers were carried out as part of the JET enhanced performance program and represent the most advanced instrumentation for NES diagnosis of both D and DT tokamak plasmas setting a central platform for R&D direct to the next step in fusion research to be carried out with ITER.</p><p>The MPRu work presented in this thesis concerns the development of a new focal plane detector based on the phoswich scintillator technique. The main objective of this sub-project was to increase the signal-to-background ratio to permit measurement of the 2.5-MeV neutron emission from d+d-->3He+n reactions and, hence, allow NES diagnosis of D plasmas. The objective was achieved as demonstrated in preliminary measurements at JET. </p><p>The development of TOFOR from concept to construction is presented in the thesis including, in particular, the commissioning of the instrument at JET. The objective of the TOFOR project was to achieve the same high performance in the NES diagnosis of D plasmas as had earlier been demonstrated by the MPR for DT plasmas. TOFOR has been used in the first plasma physics experiments reported in this thesis. These demonstrate that the performance objectives have been achieved as tested, in particular, in the observation of auxiliary heating effects on velocity distribution of the deuterium population.</p>

High-precision differential cross section data of the neutron-deuteron elastic scattering reaction at 95 MeV are presented. The neutron-proton scattering differential cross section was also measured and used as a reference to allow an accurate absolute normalization of the neutron-deuteron data. Two multi-detector arrays were used, MEDLEY and SCANDAL, at the neutron beam facility at The Svedberg Laboratory in Uppsala. Three different configurations of the detectors allowed to perform three independent measurements. The first experiment involved detecting recoil deuterons from thin deuterated polyethylene targets with the MEDLEY setup and allowed a large angular coverage. In the second experiment, high-precision data were obtained at neutron backward angles, using the SCANDAL setup with the same technique. For the third experiment, data were obtained in the forward angular range using the SCANDAL setup with a technique where neutrons scattered on heavy water were detected by neutron-proton conversion in plastic scintillators and tracking the protons through the detectors. Events from elastic neutron-deuteron scattering were identified in the data analysis, and differential cross sections were obtained after applying corrections and evaluating systematic uncertainties due to effects which could affect the shape or the absolute normalization of the data. The results are compared with modern Faddeev calculations using realistic nucleon-nucleon potentials combined with three-nucleon interactions. The effects of three-nucleon forces are expected to increase the differential cross section by about 30% in the region of the minimum. The data agree with this prediction, thus providing evidence for three-nucleon force effects.

Nuclear energy is currently one of the world’s main sources of electricity. Closely connected to the use of nuclear energy are important issues such as the nonproliferation of fissile material that may potentially used in nuclear weapons (safeguards), and the management of the highly radioactive nuclear waste. This thesis addresses both these issues by contributing to the development of new experimental methods for ensuring safe and secure handling of the waste, with focus on methods to be used prior to encapsulation and final storage. The methods rely on high resolution gamma ray spectroscopy (HRGS), involving the measurement and analysis of emitted gamma radiation from the fission products 137Cs, 134Cs and 154Eu. This technique is nondestructive, making it relatively nonintrusive with respect to the normal operation of the nuclear facilities. For the safeguards issue, it is important to experimentally verify the presence and identity of nuclear fuel assemblies and also that the fuel has experienced normal, civilian reactor operation. It has been shown in this thesis that the HRGS method may be used for verifying operator declared fuel parameters such as burnup, cooling time and irradiation history. In the experimental part of the work, the burnup and the cooling time has been determined with an accuracy of 1.6% and 1.5%, respectively (1 σ). A technique has also been demonstrated, utilizing the ratio 134Cs/154Eu, with which it is possible to determine whether a fuel assembly is of MOX or LEU type. This is of interest for safeguards as well as for the safe operation of a final storage facility. As an improvement to the HRGS technique, measuring a part of the fuel assembly length in order to reduce measurement time has been suggested and investigated. A theoretical case for partial defect verification has also been studied as an extension of the HRGS technique. Finally, HRGS has been used for determining the decay heat in spent nuclear fuel assemblies, which is of importance for the safe operation of a final storage facility. This application is based on the radiation from 137Cs, and the accuracy demonstrated was within 3% (1 σ).

Meson production in proton-deuteron collisions has been studied using the WASA detector facility at the CELSIUS storage ring in Uppsala. Data were obtained at two different beam energies, 1360 MeV and 1450 MeV, slightly above threshold for η and ω mesons. The differential cross sections of pd → 3He ω constitute the first measurements of this reaction covering the whole angular range. The ω angular distributions are isotropic at 1360 MeV but have strong forward and backward enhancements at 1450 MeV. Theoretical calculations using a two-step model fail to reproduce the shapes of the angular distributions and underestimate the total cross sections. The tensor polarisation of the ω meson has been derived from the measured angular distributions of the ω decay products. The π+ π- π0 and the π0 γ decay channels gave consistent results, showing that the ω meson is produced unpolarised at both energies. This is in contrast to a recent MOMO measurement which showed that the Φ meson is produced almost completely polarised in the pd → 3HeΦ reaction. Different production dynamics of ω and Φ mesons close to threshold raises the question whether the Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka (OZI) rule is applicable in low-energy nucleon-nucleon reactions. The angular distributions of the η meson produced in the pd → 3He η reaction are strongly enhanced for forward going η mesons at both energies. The σ(pd → 3He π+ π- π0 )/σ(pd → 3He π0 π0 π0 ) ratio has been measured and discussed in terms of isospin amplitudes. A rough estimate of the pd → 3He π0 π0 π0 π0 cross sections has also been obtained and the pd → 3He η π0 reaction has been studied for the first time near threshold.

The thesis comprises investigations of two topics related to the PANDA experiment. The first part is dedicated to energy resolution and light yield uniformity studies of PWO crystals for the electromagnetic calorimeter. The second part of the thesis is dedicated to simulation studies of the p̅p→Λ̅Λ and the p̅p→Λ̅Σ0 channels. Photon response measurements with one 3×3 crystals matrix of rectangular crystals and one 5×5 matrix with tapered crystals have been performed at the MAX-Lab synchrotron facility in Lund, Sweden. Photon energies in the range of 13-84 MeV were used. GEANT4 simulations were performed in order to find the most suitable method for adding the energy contributions and for calibration purposes. The widths, σ, of the resulting experimental summed energy peaks were fitted using the Novosibirsk distribution. The results show that the electromagnetic shower at 84 MeV is completely contained in the 5×5 matrix. The widths (σ) for the summed energy peaks were determined.Studies of the uniformity of the light yield were performed for crystals of three different shapes and different wrapping materials. The light yield as a function of distance between the point of energy depositions and the PM tube, was shown to be closely related to the crystal shape and the wrapping material. The p̅p→Λ̅Λ channel was studies at beam momenta of 1.64 GeV/c, 4 GeV/c and 15 GeV/c, while p̅p→Λ̅Σ0 was studied at 4 GeV/c. In the simulations, both phase space differential cross-sections and experimental differential cross-sections from PS185 were used as input. The purpose of the simulations was to show that the reaction channels can be reconstructed in the detector. Special interest was paid to the polarisation and spin correlations of the hyperons. The result is that there is acceptance of cosθ angular range over the full momentum range of the HESR for both channels. Using isotropic differential cross-sections, the polarisation for Λ̅ and Σ0 as well as spin correlations between Λ̅Λ and Λ̅Σ0 can be well reconstructed. Using the differential cross-sections from PS185, the particles are more likely to go forwards in their respective directions in the CM-system, thus making reconstruction over the full angular range more difficult at high beam momenta.

Neutron emission spectra, measured with the time of flight spectrometer TOFOR, at the joint European torus (JET) are presented in this thesis. TOFOR has been in use since 2005, routinely measuring the neutron emission from JET plasmas. The work in the thesis mainly concerns the modeling of the signatures in the neutron spectrum that reveal different parts of the fuel ion distribution, such as the thermal bulk plasma as well as energetic ions from neutral beam and ion cyclotron heating. Parametric models of the signatures, using plasma parameters as input, are employed to generate trial neutron spectra. The parameters, such as the fuel ion temperature or the fast ion distribution function, are deduced by iteratively fitting the trial spectra to the measured data. Measurements with TOFOR have been made and the models were applied. The studies are mainly on neutrons from d(d, n)3 He reactions(DD), although the emission from reactions with the plasma impurity 9 Be and triton burn up is covered as well. This has allowed for detailed studies of e.g. the physics ICRF heating as well as the interactions between energetic ions and plasma instabilities, such as toroidal Alfvé Eigenmodes.