Nuclear coherent scattering amplitudes for thorium, uranium and plutonium

Neutron diffraction transmission techniques were used to determine experimentally the nuclear coherent scattering amplitudes of thorium, uranium and plutonium. The thermal neutron wavelength employed was 1.391 A, and experimental samples consisted of thin plates of ThO2, U02, and PuO~. Nickel, with a scattering amplitude of 1.03 x 10 -12 cm., was used as the calibration standard. The experimental scattering amplitudes of thorium, uranium, plutonium and oxygen were determined to be 0.98, 0"84, 0.75, and 0.58 x 10 -12 cm., respectively. These values are in good agreement with those reported by Bacon (1955) for thorium, uranium and oxygen, namely, 1.01, 0.85, and 0.58 x 10 -1~ cm., respectively.