Speaker
Description
Treating nuclear waste, in particular long-lived fission products (LLFPs), remains a worldwide problem for the future long-term sustainability of nuclear energy. A promising solution uses nuclear transmutation reactions to convert LLFPs into stable and short-lived nuclear matter for simpler, safer storage. Transmutation studies typically use neutron-induced fission, however, the LLFP $^{93}$Zr (half-life ~ 10$^{6}$ years) poses the challenge that stable Zr isotopes in the waste, namely $^{91}$Zr and $^{92}$Zr, may be transformed into $^{93}$Zr by neutron capture. Consequently, transmuting $^{93}$Zr by neutron capture is not practical. An alternative transmutation process uses deuteron-induced pre-equilibrium reactions on $^{93}$Zr, but there’s a lack of cross-section data at energies below 50 MeV/u. To address this knowledge gap, the $^{93}$Zr+d pre-equilibrium cross-sections were measured at ~ 30 MeV/u as part of the ImPACT program using the BigRIPS-OEDO beamline at the RIBF in RIKEN, Japan. A radioactive $^{93}$Zr beam was produced and separated by BigRIPS. Using OEDO the beam was decelerated and focused onto the cryogenically cooled deuterium gas target. Reaction products were momentum-analyzed by part of the SHARAQ spectrometer and then identified using the Bρ-dE-range method. This poster presents the experimental procedure and preliminary results.
