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The Device for Indirect Capture on Radionuclides (DICER) implements a new indirect technique for (n,γ) studies in which the neutron capture rate is determined from analysis of resonance neutron transmission data. The DICER instrument and associated radionuclide production at the Isotope Production Facility (IPF), both at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), as well radioactive sample fabrication, have been under development in the last few years. First measurements on a radioactive sample (88Zr, t½=83.4 days), which was recently reported to have an extremely large thermal neutron capture cross section and resonance integral [1, 2], are planned for the winter of 2021. A performance overview, brief details on the 88Zr fabrication and proof of good operation results will be presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isotopes heavier than iron are known to be produced in stars through neutron capture processes. Two major processes, the slow (s) and rapid (r) processes are each responsible for 50% of the abundances of the heavy isotopes. The neutron capture cross sections of the isotopes on the s process path reveal information about the expected abundances of the elements as well as stellar conditions and dynamics. Until recently, measurements on unstable isotopes, which are most important for determining stellar temperatures and reaction flow, have not been experimentally feasible. The Detector for Advance Neutron Capture Experiments (DANCE) located at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) was designed to perform time-of-flight neutron capture measurements on unstable isotopes for nuclear astrophysics, stockpile stewardship, and reactor development. DANCE is a 4-π BaF2 scintillator array which can perform measurements on sub-milligram samples of isotopes with half-lives as short as a few hundred days. These cross sections are critical for advancing our understanding of the production of the heavy isotopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutron capture cross section data on Am isotopes were measured using the Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments (DANCE) at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The neutron capture cross section was determined for 241Am for neutron energies between thermal and 320 keV. Preliminary results were also obtained for 243Am for neutron energies between 10 eV and 250 keV. The results on concurrent neutron-induced fission and neutron-capture measurements on 242mAm will be presented where the fission events were actively triggered during the experiments. In these experiments, a Parallel-Plate Avalanche Counter (PPAC) detector that surrounds the target located in the center of the DANCE array was used as a fission-tagging detector to separate (n,γ) events from (n,f) events. The first direct observation of neutron capture on 242mAm in the resonance region in between 2 and 9 eV of the neutron energy was obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]