This table presents an evaluated set of values for experimental quantities that characterize the properties for scattering and absorption of neutrons. The neutron cross section is given for room temperature neutrons, 20.43 °C, corresponding to a thermal neutron energy of 0.0253 electron volts (eV) or a neutron velocity of 2200 meters/second. The neutron resonance integral is defined over the energy range from 0.5 eV to 0.1 × 106 eV, or 0.1 MeV. Bound neutron scattering lengths and neutron cross sections averaged over a Maxwellian spectrum at 30 keV for astrophysical applications are also presented. A list of the major references used is given below. The literature cutoff date is January 2003. Uncertainties are given in parentheses. Parentheses with two or more numbers indicate values to the excited state(s) and to the ground state of the product nucleus. Column definitions for the table are as follows.
Column heading | Definition |
Elem. or Isot. | For elements, atomic number and chemical symbol are listed. For nuclides, mass number and chemical symbol are listed. Isomers are indicated by the notation m, m1, or m2 |
Natural abundance | Natural abundance, in atom percent |
Half-life | Half-life in decimal notation. μs = microsecond; ms = millisecond; s = second; m = minute; h = hour; d = day; y = year |
Thermal neut. cross section | Cross sections for neutron capture reactions in units of barns (10–24 cm2) or millibarns (mb); proton, alpha production, and fission reactions are designated by σp, σα, σf , respectively; separate values are listed for isomeric production |
Resonance integral | Resonance integrals for neutron capture reactions in barns (10–24 cm2) or millibarns (mb); proton, alpha production, and fission reactions are designated by RIp, RIα, RIf, respectively; separate values are listed for isomeric production |
Coh. scat. length | Bound coherent scattering lengths for neutron scattering reactions in units of femtometers (fm), which is equal to fermis (10–13 cm) |
σ(30 keV) Maxw. avg. | Astrophysical cross sections, averaged over a stellar neutron Maxwellian spectrum characterized by a thermal energy of 30 keV, expressed in barns (10–24 cm2), millibarns (mb), or microbarns (μb) |
The following references represent the major sources of the nuclear data.
Element | Elem.or Isot. | Natural abundance/% | Half-life | Thermal neut. cross section/barns | Resonance integral/barns | Coh. scat. length/fm | σ(30 keV) Maxw. avg./barns |
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Hydrogen | 1H | 0.332(2) | 0.149(1) | 3.739(1) | |||
Hydrogen | 1H | 99.9885(70) | >2.8×1023 y | 0.332(2) | 0.149(1) | 3.741(1) | 0.25(2) mb* |
Hydrogen | 2H | 0.0115(70) | 0.51(1)mb | 0.23(2) mb | 6.671(4) | 2.1(4) µb | |
Hydrogen | 3H | 12.33 y | < 6. µb | 4.79(3) | |||
Helium | 2He | < 0.05 | 3.26(3) | ||||
Helium | 3He | 0.000134(3) | σp = 5.33(1)×103 | RIp = 2.39(1)×103 | 5.74(7) | ||
Helium | 3He | 0.05(1) mb | 8.(1) µb* | ||||
Helium | 4He | 99.999867(3) | 3.26(3) | ||||
Lithium | 3Li | 71.(2) | 32.(1) | 1.90(2) | |||
Lithium | 6Li | 7.59(4) | σt = 9.4(1)×102 | RIt = 422.(4) | 2.0(1) | σt ≈ 1. | |
Lithium | 6Li | 39.(5) mb | 17.(2) mb | 0.06(1) mb* | |||
Lithium | 7Li | 92.41(4) | 45.(5) mb | 20.(2) mb | 2.22(2) | 42.(3) µb | |
Lithium | 8Li | 0.84 s | < ≈ 5.5 µb | ||||
Beryllium | 4Be | 8.8(4) mb | 3.9(2) mb | 7.79(1) | |||
Beryllium | 7Be | 53.28 d | σp = 3.9(1)×104 | RIp = 1.75(5)×104 | σp = 16(4)* | ||
Beryllium | 7Be | σα ≈ 0.1 | |||||
Beryllium | 9Be | 100. | 8.8(4) mb | 3.9(2) mb | 7.79(1) | ||
Beryllium | 10Be | 1.52×106 y | <1. mb | ||||
Boron | 5B | 7.6(1)×102 | 3.4(1)×102 | 5.30(4) |
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