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Conference on Nuclear Training and Education: A Biennial International Forum (CONTE 2025)
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Amelia Island, FL|Omni Amelia Island Resort
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How to talk about nuclear
In your career as a professional in the nuclear community, chances are you will, at some point, be asked (or volunteer) to talk to at least one layperson about the technology you know and love. You might even be asked to present to a whole group of nonnuclear folks, perhaps as a pitch to some company tangential to your company’s business. So, without further ado, let me give you some pointers on the best way to approach this important and surprisingly complicated task.
V. J. Orphan, C. G. Hoot, Joseph John
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 42 | Number 3 | December 1970 | Pages 352-366
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE70-A21223
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Gamma-ray production cross sections were measured for the 16O(n, xγ) reaction from 6.35- to 16.52-MeV neutron energy. The Gulf General Atomic LINAC was used to produce a pulsed source of neutrons having a continuous distribution of neutron energies. A 30-cm3 Ge(Li) detector, placed at 125 deg to the incident neutron beam, was used to measure the γ-ray spectra. The corresponding neutron energy was determined by the time-of-flight technique. The two-parameter data (γ-ray energy, neutron energy) were processed with an on-line computer and sorted into 10 γ-ray spectra spanning the range 6.35 MeV ≤ En ≤ 16.52 MeV. From these data we obtained average differential gamma-ray production cross sections for 9 gamma rays from the 16O(n, xγ) reaction. The cross sections are in good agreement with other recent measurements, but show rather large disagreement with some earlier measurements. The total nonelastic cross section obtained by summing the partial cross sections is consistent with the nonelastic cross section obtained from the difference between the total cross section and the total elastic cross section for En < H MeV. However, in the range 11 MeV ≤ En ≤ 16.5 MeV, there is a serious discrepancy for which a possible explanation is discussed.
