Consistent optical potential for incident and emitted low-energy $\alpha$ particles. II. $\alpha$-emission in fast-neutron induced reactions on Zr isotopes

TL;DR

This paper validates a consistent optical potential model for low-energy alpha particles by analyzing recent reaction data on Zr isotopes, highlighting the need for a volume imaginary component to accurately describe alpha emission.

Contribution

It provides a validated optical potential model that accurately describes alpha-induced reactions and emphasizes the importance of volume absorption for alpha evaporation at low energies.

Findings

The potential describes recent alpha-induced reaction data without empirical rescaling.

It underestimates (n,alpha) reaction cross sections due to neglecting pre-equilibrium emission.

A volume imaginary component is necessary for modeling alpha evaporation accurately.

Abstract

Background: Challenging questions of the $\alpha$-particle optical-model potential (OMP) are still pointed out by recent high-precision measurements of $\alpha$-induced reaction data below the Coulomb barrier. Moreover, the reliability of a previous OMP for $\alpha$-particles on nuclei within the mass number range 45$\leq$$A$$\leq$209 has been recently proved for emitted $\alpha$ particles as well, but only in the case of proton-induced reactions on Zn isotopes [Phys. Rev. C {\bf 91}, 064611 (2015), Paper I]. Purpose: Analysis of most recent $(\alpha,\gamma)$ reaction data for Ge and Zr isotopes, which provides an additional validation of the above-mentioned potential, is related to a further account of $\alpha$-particle emission in neutron-induced reactions on Zr isotopes, at the same time with a suitable description of all competitive processes. Methods: A consistent parameter set, established or validated by independent analysis of recent various data, particularly $\gamma$-ray strength functions, have been involved within model calculation of the $(\alpha,\gamma)$ as well as $(n,\alpha)$ reaction cross sections. The latter are part of the whole analysis of the neutron activation of Zr isotopes, in order to avoid any error compensation or latent ambiguity. Results: The aforesaid potential provides a consistent description of recent $\alpha$-induced reaction data with no empirical rescaling factors of the $\gamma$ and/or nucleon widths. On the other hand, its use leads to underestimated predictions of the pre-equilibrium emission and statistical models for the $(n,\alpha)$ reaction cross sections. Conclusions: An optical potential with a volume imaginary component seems to be needed to describe the low-energy $\alpha$-particle evaporation, while only surface absorption occurs in $\alpha$-induced reactions at similar energies.