Delayed $^{160}$Tb radioactivity buildup due to $^{159}$Tb(n,$^2$n) nuclear reaction products transformation and subsequent fusion

TL;DR

This study investigates the delayed formation of $^{160}$Tb radioactivity following the $^{159}$Tb(n,$^2$n) reaction, proposing a model that includes nuclear transformations and fusion processes, and estimates the bound dineutron's half-life.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed mathematical model incorporating nuclear transformations, fusion processes, and estimates the bound dineutron's half-life based on experimental data.

Findings

Detected signs of fusion between heavier nuclei and dineutron decay products.

Developed a mathematical model describing delayed $^{160}$Tb buildup.

Estimated the bound dineutron's half-life as approximately 5,877 seconds.

Abstract

This paper deals with the formation of a bound dineutron in the outgoing channel of the $^{159}$Tb(n,$^2$n)$^{158g}$Tb nuclear reaction followed by assumed transformations of this reaction products $^{159g}$Tb and $^2$n. Such nuclear processes were studied in detail from the point of view of $^{160}$Tb / $^{160}$Dy / $^{160}$Ho amount of nuclei versus time dependence. Some signs of fusion process between heavier nuclei ($^{158}$Tb and/or $^{158}$Gd) and the deuteron, that is a bound dineutron decay product, were detected as unexpected increasing of 879.38 keV gamma-ray peak count rate due to $^{160}$Dy gamma-transitions. The mathematical model, including three systems of differential equations, was developed to describe the experimental data. This development requires a reasonable estimate of the half-life of a bound dineutron, which was found to be equal 5,877 s as an upper limit. We mathematically modeled the experimentally observed delayed in time buildup of the $^{160}$Tb radioactivity with a maximum at about 495 d since the neutron irradiation completion of the Tb sample, based on the similarity with the parent-daughter nuclei radioactivity decay and nuclear accumulation processes.