Determination of Westcott g-factors for the assay of non-1/v nuclides using k-NAA.

This study examines the impact of the Westcott g-factor on the concentration of elements like In, Ir, Re, Yb, Eu and Lu, measured using neutron capture reactions (n,γ), specifically focusing on those reactions, whose thermal neutron capture cross-sections (σ ) deviate from the conventional '1/v' behaviour. These measurements are quantified using k₀-based neutron activation analysis. The Westcott g-factor for the non-1/v nuclides was calculated using the characterized neutron temperature (T) at PFTS irradiation channel of KAMINI reactor. This computation involved establishing a correlation between g(T) Vs T, spanning a range from 0 to 100 °C, derived from the latest ENDF/B-VIII.0 nuclear data library. NJOY21 code package modules like RECONR (Resonance Reconstruction) and BROADR (Doppler Broadening) were used to process the neutron capture cross-section at different temperatures. The impact of g(T) on the Lu concentration was found to be highest at 81% and least for the Re at 0.2% using Re isotope.