Empirical Estimates of the Neutron-Nucleus Scattering Cross Sections

Reactor Physics Design Division,Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai 400 085, India(Dated: February 5, 2008)Theoretical study of systematics of neutron scattering cross sections on various materials forneutron energies up to several hundred MeV are of practical importance. In this paper, we analysedvarious cross sections of neutron-nucleus (n-N) scattering for several systems in the energy rangeof 50-250 MeV, predicted by the optical model using Koning-Delaroche potentials. We propose anempirical approach to successfully predict the energy dependence of total, shape elastic, reactioncross sections and zero degree scattering angular distributions. We demonstrate that owing to twoconditions, only two out of these four cross sections need to be fitted empirically. Further, wemodified the Wick’s approximation for the zero degree angular distributions and use this approachfor estimating various cross sections for any nucleus from Aluminum to Lead.