NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF NEUTRON RESONANCES

Neutron resonances are analyzed numerically by determining the resonant energies, the total widths, and the neutron widths of the resonances. It was assumed that the total cross section can be represented by the sum of single- level Breit-Wigner formulas, with interference between resonance and potential scattering but no interference between resonances; that the Doppler broadening is represented by a Gaussian function; and that the instrument resolution is represented by a Gaussian function. Gauss' method was used to reduce the nonlinear problem to one in which linear methods can be applied. Some unusual techniques were used for evaluating the integrals in the function for calculating the transmission. Two programs for analyzing transmission data to obtain the parameters of the resonances were written for the IBM 7090 computer. The first program is a shape analysis for determining the resonant energies, the total widths, and the neutron widths of the resonances. This program analyzes the transmission data for as many as six resonances at once. The second program is an area analysis for determining the neutron widths of the resonances for assumed total widths. This program analyzes transmission data containing as many as 20 resonances at once. (auth