Photoneutron cross sections for neodymium isotopes: Toward a unified understanding of (γ,n) and (n,γ) reactions in the rare earth region

Abstract

Photoneutron cross sections were measured for five stable Nd isotopes, 143,144,145,146,148Nd, near neutron threshold with highly monochromatic laser-Compton scattering γ rays. The photoneutron data were compared with the calculations performed with the talys reaction code with inputs of the Skyrme Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) plus quasi-particle random phase approximation (QRPA) model and the axially symmetric deformed Gogny HFB plus QRPA model of E1 γ-ray strength. Using the γ-ray strength function constrained by the present photoneutron data, a thorough analysis of the reverse (n,γ) cross sections is made. Radiative neutron capture cross sections for an s-process branching-point nucleus in the rare earth region, Nd147 with the half-life 10.98 d, are deduced with the γ-ray strength function method. The impact of the newly evaluated 147Nd(n,γ)148Nd cross section on s-process nucleosynthesis is discussed.