Orateur
Description
The neutron capture process represents the dominant transmutation reaction open in neutron-rich environments at energies below a few hundred keV. As such, it is essential for understanding the evolution of material in such diverse environments as stellar burning or nuclear reactors. While past decades have seen substantial experimental work on stable isotopes, for many unstable isotopes, we are still reliant on nuclear theory due to the challenges of producing and measuring neutron-induced reactions on unstable isotopes. I will discuss the present state of the art for direct measurement of neutron capture, with a focus on the role of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) with its high-intensity, high-energy proton accelerator and spallation physics program. Further, I will discuss a current LANL project which has been undertaken to perform the first neutron capture measurement in inverse kinematics to test the feasibility of a true neutron target to be coupled to an ion storage ring.
