h-index: 7     i10-index: 5

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

1 Department of Physics, Nigerian Army University, Biu, Borno State, Nigeria

2 Department of Physics, Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria

3 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

4 Department of Physics, Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria

5 Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assuit 71452, Nigeria

Abstract

In this study, the neutron-induced fissile isotopes of Thorium-232 using the Coupled-Channel Optical Model code (OPTMAN) code up to 20 MeV. The high demand for nuclear reactor fuels has necessitated this research. As one of the major naturally occurring radionuclides with lots of fuel prospect, Thorium-232 occur in 99.98%. Some steps process away from Thorium-232 on neutron capture can produce fissile materials to be used as reactor fuel. Computations were done for both the Potential Expanded by Derivatives (PED) which account for the Rigid-Rotor Model (RRM) that treat nuclei as rigid vibrating sphere as well as account for nuclear volume conservation and Rotational Model Potentials (RMP) which account for the Soft-Rotator Model (SRM) that treat nuclei as soft rotating spherical deformed shapes. Each of the calculated data was compared with the retrieved data from Evaluated Nuclear Dada File (ENDF) which was found to be in good agreement. The threshold energies in all cases were found to be ≤ 4 MeV for both PED (Potential Expanded by Derivatives) and RMP (Rotational Model Potentials). It is observed that results from RMP much better agreed with the retrieved data than one obtained from PED. 

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Main Subjects

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