Cross Section Measurements of the $^{76}$Ge$(n, n'\gamma)$ Reaction

Neutrinoless double-beta decay (0$\nu\beta\beta$) is a topic of great current interest and, as such, is the focus of several experiments and international collaborations. Two of these experiments, Majorana and GERDA, are seeking evidence of 0$\nu\beta\beta$ in the decay of $^{76}$Ge, where the signal would appear as a sharp peak in the energy spectrum at the Q-value of the reaction plus a small amount of recoil energy, or 2039 keV. Due to the high sensitivity of such a measurement, knowledge of background lines is critical. A study of $^{76}$Ga $\beta^{-}$ decay into $^{76}$Ge [1] revealed a 2040.70(25)-keV transition from the 3951.70(14)-keV level, which, if populated, could potentially be a background line of concern. In addition to $\beta^{-}$ decay from $^{76}$Ga, a potential population mechanism could be cosmic-ray-induced inelastic neutron scattering. Measurements of the neutron-induced cross section of the 3951.70-keV level have been performed utilizing the $^{76}$Ge$(n, n'\gamma)$ reaction at the University of Kentucky at neutron energies ranging from 4.3 to 4.9 MeV.\\[4pt] [1] D.C. Camp and B.P. Foster, Nucl. Phys. \textbf{A}177 (1971) 401-417.