147Sm(n, α) cross section measurements from 3 eV to 500 keV: Resonance neutrons

The cross section of the 147Sm(n, α) reaction was measured from 3 eV to 500 keV at ORELA in the frame of an ORNL - FLNP collaboration. Total α-particle widths of 104 resolved neutron resonances with spin Jπ = 3 or Jρ=4 were measured in the energy interval 3 eV - 700 eV. A statistical analysis of α-particle widths of the resonances was carried out for each spin state. Deviations of the α-width distributions from statistical theory are discussed. A detailed discussion is devoted to a specific resonance (or doublet) at E0 = 184 eV having an unusual α-particle spectrum and unusually large α-particle and neutron widths. © 2014 Atomic Energy Society of Japan. All Rights Reserved.