BARC/PUB/10//1052

 
 

Measurement of photoexcitation cross-sections of uranium by saturation method

 
     
 
Author(s)

Shah, M. L.; Das, R. C.; Mandal, P. K.; Rathod, D. R.; Dev, V.; Manohar, K. G.; Suri, B. M.

ABSTRACT

We report the measurement of photoexcitation cross-sections of three first- step uranium transitions (0® 16900:38 cm-1, 0®17361:89 cm-1 and 620 ®17361:89 cm-1) using saturation method. These measurements were performed on a resonance ionization mass spectrometry (RIMS) set-up consisting of Nd:YAG-pumped dye lasers, a reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer and high-temperature atomic vapour source. The uranium vapours were excited and photoionized by two-colour, three-photon pho- toionization scheme using Nd:YAG-pumped dye laser system. The resultant photoion signal was monitored as a function of dye laser fluence used for first step excitation to measure the excitation cross-section values. A new approach was adopted to overcome the large uncertainties associated with such measurements. With this approach the cross- section of transitions whose value is already reported in the literature was measured as a bench mark. By normalizing the measured value to the reported value, a scaling factor was derived. This scaling factor was used to scale up the cross-section values of other transitions measured by this method.

 
 
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