Experimental yield and evaluation of proton induced reactions for neutron production and synthesis of beryllium-7 using lithium compounds as target material.

We had investigated the nuclear processes occur during nuclear reactions of protons with lithium containing targets. Experimental measurements were undertaken to obtain the thick-target yield of 7Be and infer upon the neutron production. Three candidate target materials having the chemical compositions LiF, LiBO2, and Li2B4O7 were used. The 7Be yield was probed using its 477 keV day γ-line while the neutron yield was probed using 63Cu(n,γ)64Cu. The 7Be and neutron yields were found different among the different compositions. Discussion on the details of Li (p,n) reactions and decay of exit channels are given and evaluated in order to explain the difference in yield among different target compositions and evaluate the nominal value of yield. Based on experimental results and evaluation, accumulation of 7Be in the target material limits its operation time for neutron production. The LiF targets gave the highest 7Be yield compared to water soluble LiBO2 and Li2B4O7. Neutron production may be undertaken with LiF target as well as lithium metaborate target with special attention to the target operation time.