Neutron resonance spectroscopy: Ta

Results of high resolution neutron time of flight spectroscopy on natural tantalum (99.988% /sup 181/Ta, I/sup ..pi../+) are presented for l = 0 resonances to 2025 eV. Values of E and gGAMMA/sup 0//sub n/ are presented for 431 resonances, in addition to the three resonances below 15 eV. A Bayes analysis suggests that no p wave levels have been included. The analysis used a multilevel Breit-Wigner shape fitting to the measured transmission curves for three different sample thicknesses. Doppler broadening and potential-resonance interference effects were included, plus some simulation of the experimental resolution effects. The analysis gives = (4.17 +- 0.04) eV for the mean level spacing, and 10/sup 4/S/sub 0/ = (1.68 +- 0.11) for the l = 0 strength function.