Measuring 12C(n,x) Cross Sections with Diamond Detectors

Precise data on n-¹²C reactions are essential for nuclear physics experiments, detector development, and applications from fundamental science to medicine. Hydrocarbon plastic scintillator detectors, like the Modular Neutron Array, are widely used. Understanding n-¹²C interactions is crucial for interpreting detector responses and enhancing simulation accuracy.

This work presents n-¹²C cross sections for four reaction channels: 12C(n,p2)12B, 12C(n,p3+4)12B, 12C(n,d1)11B, and 12C(n,d2)11B, where the subscripts indicate the excited states of the heavy recoil, extracted from data collected at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. A neutron beam with energies up to 800 MeV was directed at two diamond detectors, which were used as active targets. The detectors measured charged reaction products from n-induced reactions. Neutron energy was determined using time-of-flight.

To calculate cross sections, reaction counts were extracted from measured Q-value spectra of n-12C reactions, and yields were normalized to the known 12C(n,α) cross section at 14.1 MeV.

Cross sections were extracted for incident neutron energies of 17-36 MeV. Observed energy dependence may indicate resonant behavior in the compound nucleus. Where possible, results were compared with TALYS calculations and previous experiments.