Production Cross-Sections of Residual Nuclides from ⁹³Zr + p at 27 MeV/nucleon

Abstract

Nuclear transmutation is emerging as a promising approach for reprocessing high-level waste, specifically treating long-lived nuclides like Zr-93 from spent fuel. It is essential to accumulate reaction data for these nuclei to advance this prominent treatment and to build a comprehensive understanding of reaction mechanisms. In this study, the residual production cross-sections resulting from proton-induced reactions on Zr-93 were measured at 27 MeV/nucleon in inverse kinematics. At the RI Beam Factory (RIBF), the Optimized Energy Degrading Optics beamline was used to deduce production cross-sections for isotopes Nb91-93, Zr-91,Zr-92, and Y-88,Y-89. Comparing the results from this study and prior research with calculated excitation functions, a moderate agreement is found with theoretical predictions derived from TALYS and CCONE. The measured cross-sections offer valuable insights for future considerations in nuclear-waste treatment facilities. This is particularly relevant for facilities exploring innovative methods, such as accelerator-driven systems.