Measurements of effective actinides neutron capture cross sections in a cadmium-filtered epithermal neutron spectrum

Abstract I (G.J.Y.) was a graduate student the first time I met Dr. Salvatores in February 1994 in Cadarache, France. He was teaching a class (in French) on fast reactor physics. Among us was a bright Chinese student who had come to learn reactor physics the French way. The student’s French was a little less than perfect, so I was surprised when, at the end of the class, he raised his hand and asked Dr. Salvatores, “Are you really French?” Dr. Salvatores looked at him and replied with a smile, “Eh, non, je ne suis qu’un pauvre paysan italien!” (No, I’m only a poor Italian peasant!) The class had a good laugh. It did not take long for me to realize Dr. Salvatores was more than just a “pauvre paysan italien”. Massimo would later become my Ph.D. director, and we had many occasions to meet and share laughs around the world over the next 25 years. He was an outstanding scientist, mentor, and bon vivant. He was a model and an inspiration for several generations of French nuclear reactor physicists involved in the development of fast reactors and advanced fuel cycles. Dr. Salvatores initiated the integral experiment that is the subject of this article.