New Neutron-Induced Cross Section Measurements for Weak s Process Studies

A series of new neutron capture and transmission measurements has been undertaken at the Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator (ORELA) in response to deficiencies identified in nuclear data libraries of crucial importance to the Nuclear Criticality Safety Program. New data and evaluations including covariances are required for several stable fission products as well as for materials found in mixtures with uranium. For example, chromium and nickel as constituents of stainless steel perform poorly in criticality calculations due to their relatively large neutron cross sections and substantial uncertainties in previous measurements. Therefore, new neutron-capture and total cross-section measurements are needed for 52,53Cr and 58,60Ni. These newly obtained data can be used not only to improve criticality calculations but also to serve as input parameters for the weak s-process stellar model calculations in massive stars. We will report on new experiments for these nuclides.