Ne(d,n) Experiment with NEXT at ReA6

Proton transfer reactions can be used to study proton capture for astrophysical applications. While the (d,p) reaction has been used extensively for studying single-neutron states, the (d,n) reaction, which can be used to study single-proton states, is less well studied. The Neutron dEtector with Xn Tracking (NEXT) array was designed to measure neutrons following β-decay or the (d,n) reaction. The NEXT modules localize the neutron interaction position by using optically segmented detectors for better angular resolution along the neutron flight path, thereby reducing uncertainties in neutron time-of-flight (TOF) measurements [1].

 

An experiment was conducted at the ReAccelerator facility ReA6 at Michigan State University using the ²⁰Ne(d,n)²¹Na reaction in inverse kinematics. This was a stable beam experiment to validate the technique of measuring (d,n) reactions using an RF buncher as a timing reference. Data obtained is currently under analysis using pulse-shape discrimination to distinguish neutrons from the gamma background and the TOF method to find the energy. Separating neutrons emerging from direct reactions and those from fusion evaporation reactions remains an ongoing challenge.

 

[1] Neupane, S. et al (2022). Demonstration of the neutron tracking capability of NEXT array in time-of-flight measurements to improve energy resolution. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.106.044320