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- Zouganelis, I., et al.
(författare)
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The Solar Orbiter Science Activity Plan : Translating solar and heliospheric physics questions into action
- 2020
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP SCIENCES S A. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 642
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Solar Orbiter is the first space mission observing the solar plasma both in situ and remotely, from a close distance, in and out of the ecliptic. The ultimate goal is to understand how the Sun produces and controls the heliosphere, filling the Solar System and driving the planetary environments. With six remote-sensing and four in-situ instrument suites, the coordination and planning of the operations are essential to address the following four top-level science questions: (1) What drives the solar wind and where does the coronal magnetic field originate?; (2) How do solar transients drive heliospheric variability?; (3) How do solar eruptions produce energetic particle radiation that fills the heliosphere?; (4) How does the solar dynamo work and drive connections between the Sun and the heliosphere? Maximising the mission's science return requires considering the characteristics of each orbit, including the relative position of the spacecraft to Earth (affecting downlink rates), trajectory events (such as gravitational assist manoeuvres), and the phase of the solar activity cycle. Furthermore, since each orbit's science telemetry will be downloaded over the course of the following orbit, science operations must be planned at mission level, rather than at the level of individual orbits. It is important to explore the way in which those science questions are translated into an actual plan of observations that fits into the mission, thus ensuring that no opportunities are missed. First, the overarching goals are broken down into specific, answerable questions along with the required observations and the so-called Science Activity Plan (SAP) is developed to achieve this. The SAP groups objectives that require similar observations into Solar Orbiter Observing Plans, resulting in a strategic, top-level view of the optimal opportunities for science observations during the mission lifetime. This allows for all four mission goals to be addressed. In this paper, we introduce Solar Orbiter's SAP through a series of examples and the strategy being followed.
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| 5. |
- Tagliente, G., et al.
(författare)
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The n_TOF facility at CERN
- 2024
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Ingår i: 16<sup>th</sup> Varenna Conference on Nuclear Reaction Mechanisms (NRM2023). - : EDP Sciences. - 9782759891245
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The neutron Time-of-Flight facility (n_TOF) is an innovative facility operative since 2001 at CERN, with three experimental areas. In this paper the n_TOF facility will be described, together with the upgrade of the facility during the Long Shutdown 2 at CERN. The main features of the detectors used for capture fission cross section measurements will be presented with perspectives for the future measurements.
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| 6. |
- Alcayne, V., et al.
(författare)
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A Segmented Total Energy Detector (sTED) optimized for (n,ϒ) cross-section measurements at n_TOF EAR2
- 2024
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Ingår i: Radiation Physics and Chemistry. - : Elsevier. - 0969-806X .- 1879-0895. ; 217
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF at CERN is a spallation source dedicated to measurements of neutroninduced reaction cross-sections of interest in nuclear technologies, astrophysics, and other applications. Since 2014, Experimental ARea 2 (EAR2) is operational and delivers a neutron fluence of similar to 4 center dot 10(7) neutrons per nominal proton pulse, which is similar to 50 times higher than the one of Experimental ARea 1 (EAR1) of similar to 8 center dot 10(5) neutrons per pulse. The high neutron flux at EAR2 results in high counting rates in the detectors that challenged the previously existing capture detection systems. For this reason, a Segmented Total Energy Detector (sTED) has been developed to overcome the limitations in the detector's response, by reducing the active volume per module and by using a photo-multiplier (PMT) optimized for high counting rates. This paper presents the main characteristics of the sTED, including energy and time resolution, response to gamma-rays, and provides as well details of the use of the Pulse Height Weighting Technique (PHWT) with this detector. The sTED has been validated to perform neutron-capture cross-section measurements in EAR2 in the neutron energy range from thermal up to at least 400 keV. The detector has already been successfully used in several measurements at n_TOF EAR2.
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| 7. |
- Massimi, C., et al.
(författare)
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Neutron-induced cross section measurements
- 2023
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Ingår i: EPJ Web of Conferences. - : EDP Sciences. - 2100-014X. ; 279
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neutron-induced cross sections represent the main nuclear input to models of stellar and Big-Bang nucleosynthesis. While (n,γ) reactions are relevant for the formation of elements heavier than iron, (n,p) and (n,α) reactions can play an important role in specific cases. The time-of-flight method is routinely used at n_TOF to experimentally determine the cross section data. In addition, recent upgrades of the facility will allow the use of activation techniques as well, possibly opening the way to a systematic study of neutron interaction with radioactive isotopes. In the last 20 years n_TOF has provided a large amount of experimental data for Nuclear Astrophysics. Our plan is to carry on challenging measurements and produce nuclear data in the next decades as well.
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| 8. |
- Patronis, N., et al.
(författare)
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Status report of the n_TOF facility after the 2nd CERN long shutdown period
- 2023
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Ingår i: EPJ TECHNIQUES AND INSTRUMENTATION. - : Springer Nature. - 2195-7045. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During the second long shutdown period of the CERN accelerator complex (LS2, 2019-2021), several upgrade activities took place at the n_TOF facility. The most important have been the replacement of the spallation target with a next generation nitrogen-cooled lead target. Additionally, a new experimental area, at a very short distance from the target assembly (the NEAR Station) was established. In this paper, the core commissioning actions of the new installations are described. The improvement in the n_TOF infrastructure was accompanied by several detector development projects. All these upgrade actions are discussed, focusing mostly on the future perspectives of the n_TOF facility. Furthermore, some indicative current and future measurements are briefly reported.
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| 9. |
- Balibrea-Correa, J., et al.
(författare)
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First measurement of the 94Nb(n,γ) cross section at the CERN n_TOF facility
- 2023
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Ingår i: EPJ Web of Conferences. - : EDP Sciences. - 2100-014X. ; 279
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- One of the crucial ingredients for the improvement of stellar models is the accurate knowledge of neutron capture cross-sections for the different isotopes involved in the s-,r- and i- processes. These measurements can shed light on existing discrepancies between observed and predicted isotopic abundances and help to constrain the physical conditions where these reactions take place along different stages of stellar evolution.In the particular case of the radioactive 94Nb, the 94Nb(n,γ) cross-section could play a role in the determination of the s-process production of 94Mo in AGB stars, which presently cannot be reproduced by state-of-the-art stellar models. There are no previous 94Nb(n,γ) experimental data for the resolved and unresolved resonance regions mainly due to the difficulties in producing highquality samples and also due to limitations in conventional detection systems commonly used in time-of-flight experiments.Motivated by this situation, a first measurement of the 94Nb(n,γ) reaction was carried out at CERN n_TOF, thereby exploiting the high luminosity of the EAR2 area in combination with a new detection system of small-volume C6D6-detectors and a high quality 94Nb-sample. The latter was based on hyper-pure 93Nb material activated at the high-flux reactor of ILL-Grenoble. An innovative ring-configuration detection system in close geometry around the capture sample allowed us to significantly enhance the signal-to-background ratio. This set-up was supplemented with two conventional C6D6-detectors and a highresolution LaCl3(Ce)-detector, which will be employed for addressing reliably systematic effects and uncertainties.At the current status of the data analysis, 18 resonance in 94Nb+n have been observed for the first time in the neutron energy range from thermal up to 10 keV.
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| 10. |
- Domingo-Pardo, C., et al.
(författare)
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Advances and new ideas for neutron-capture astrophysics experiments at CERN n_TOF
- 2023
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Ingår i: European Physical Journal A. - : Springer. - 1434-6001 .- 1434-601X. ; 59:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article presents a few selected developments and future ideas related to the measurement of (n,γ) data of astrophysical interest at CERN n_TOF. The MC-aided analysis methodology for the use of low-efficiency radiation detectors in time-of-flight neutron-capture measurements is discussed, with particular emphasis on the systematic accuracy. Several recent instrumental advances are also presented, such as the development of total-energy detectors with γ-ray imaging capability for background suppression, and the development of an array of small-volume organic scintillators aimed at exploiting the high instantaneous neutron-flux of EAR2. Finally, astrophysics prospects related to the intermediate i neutron-capture process of nucleosynthesis are discussed in the context of the new NEAR activation area.
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