Neutron resonance spectroscopy: Ta

Results of high resolution neutron time of flight spectroscopy on natural tantalum (99.988% ¹⁸¹Ta,I^π=72⁺) are presented for $l=0$ resonances to 2025 eV. Values of E and gΓₙ⁰ 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 〈S〉=(4.17±0.04) eV for the mean level spacing, and 10⁴S₀=(1.68±0.11) for the $l=0$ strength function.[NUCLEAR REACTIONS ¹⁸¹Ta(n,total), E=15 to 2030 eV; deduced resonance E, gΓₙ⁰, $〈S〉$, S₀.]