Measurement of Neutron Capture Cross-Section and Resonance Integral of 94Zr(n, γ)95Zr Using IREN

Abstract Accurate measurements of neutron capture cross-sections and resonance integrals of 94Zr isotope are critical for nuclear reactor design, waste transmutation studies, and astrophysical nucleosynthesis models. In this work, we present updated measurements of the thermal neutron capture cross-section and resonance integral for the 94Zr(n, γ)95Zr reaction using the activation method and the Intense Resonance Neutron Source (IREN). The 197Au(n, γ)198Au standard reaction was used as a reference monitor reaction due to its well-established nuclear cross-section. The thermal capture cross-section of 94Zr was determined to be σ0 = 51.6 ± 3.9 mb and the resonance integral was I0 = 276 ± 84 mb. Our obtained data were compared to previously reported data from nuclear data libraries and experiments. Our new results refine existing values and validate the application of IREN in nuclear data measurements.