Upscattering of ultracold neutrons from the polymer [C_6H_(12)]_n
Abstract
It is generally accepted that the main cause of ultracold neutron (UCN) losses in storage traps is upscattering to the thermal energy range by hydrogen adsorbed on the surface of the trap walls. However, the data on which this conclusion is based are poor and contradictory. Here we report a measurement, performed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory UCN source, of the average energy of the flux of upscattered neutrons after the interaction of UCN with hydrogen bound in the semicrystalline polymer PMP (trade name TPX), [C_6H_(12)]_n. Our analysis, performed with the mcnp code which applies the neutron-scattering law to UCN upscattered by bound hydrogen in semicrystalline polyethylene, [C_2H_4]_n, leads us to a flux average energy value of 26±3 meV, in contradiction to previously reported experimental values of 10 to 13 meV and in agreement with the theoretical models of neutron heating implemented in MCNP.
Additional Information
© 2013 American Physical Society. Received 22 September 2013; published 6 December 2013. We thank L. Daemen for help in acquiring x-ray diffraction data for our samples. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25396. Author D.J.S. is supported by the DOE Office of Science Graduate Fellowship Program, made possible in part by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, administered by ORISE-ORAU under Contract No. DE-AC05-06OR23100.Attached Files
Published - PhysRevC.88.064605.pdf
Submitted - 1308.2710v1.pdf
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 43462
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20140122-092724564
- DE-AC52-06NA25396
- Department of Energy (DOE)
- Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Fellowship Program
- DE-AC05-06OR23100
- ORISE-ORAU
- Created
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2014-01-23Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-10Created from EPrint's last_modified field