Secondary Neutron and Proton Production in Proton-Induced Reactions with ¹²C, ¹⁶N and ¹⁶O Nuclei

Abstract

The results of computer simulation of the secondary neutrons and protons yield per one incident proton during the interaction of protons with an energy of 50 MeV with light nuclei - ¹²C, ¹⁴N, and ¹⁶O using the TALYS - 1.96 code by default are presented. The importance of taking into account the radiation of secondary nucleons - neutrons and protons is a necessary element in conducting fundamental and applied nuclear research, such as dosimetry and radiation safety. As a result, the values of the total cross section for the secondary neutrons and protons production were obtained, that indicate significant differences in their energy range dependencies versus the target nucleus. For the nucleus ¹²C, the threshold for the production of neutrons is in the region of 20 MeV. A similar characteristic for ¹⁴N lies in the region of up to 10 MeV, and for ¹⁶O the total neutron production threshold is 17-18 MeV. The maximum neutron yield per incident proton is observed for the ¹⁶O nucleus. The total secondary proton production cross-section and their yield were also determined. In the case of proton yield, the oxygen nucleus demonstrates the largest number of secondary protons per proton, which is 1.47. The calculated values of the energy differential cross-section of the secondary radiation of protons and neutrons were also obtained. The maximum average energy of secondary protons is observed for the ¹⁴N nucleus and is 12.72 MeV, while for the ¹²C, and ¹⁶O nuclei it is about 10 MeV. Analysis of the energy differential cross-section of secondary neutrons showed that the maximum average energy is possessed by neutrons formed as a result of interaction with the nitrogen nucleus, while the energies of secondary neutrons formed on the nuclei of ¹²C, and ¹⁶O are approximately equal (6.2 and 6.4, respectively).