Gamma Rays from Neutron Inelastic Scattering

A NaI scintillation counter has been used to observe gamma rays from neutron inelastic scattering in B¹⁰, C, N, O, F, Mg, Al, S, Ca, Fe, Ni, Cu, Ta, Pb, and Bi. In most cases these gamma rays can be fitted into known level schemes of the target nuclides; however, a few gamma rays require the existence of previously undetected levels. In addition, several gamma rays have been observed from (n, p^'γ) and (n, α^'γ) reactions. The problems involved in measuring absolute cross sections for the production of gamma rays are considered in detail. The usefulness of neutron inelastic scattering in nuclear spectroscopy is illustrated in several cases.