The energy-dependent cross section of the ${}^7\mathrm{Be}(n,\alpha ){}^4\mathrm{He}$ reaction, of interest for the so-called cosmological lithium problem in big bang nucleosynthesis, has been measured for the first time from 10 meV to 10 keV neutron energy. The challenges posed by the short half-life of ${}^7\mathrm{Be}$ and by the low reaction cross section have been overcome at n_TOF thanks to an unprecedented combination of the extremely high luminosity and good resolution of the neutron beam in the new experimental area (EAR2) of the n_TOF facility at CERN, the availability of a sufficient amount of chemically pure ${}^7\mathrm{Be}$, and a specifically designed experimental setup. Coincidences between the two alpha particles have been recorded in two $\mathrm{Si}\text{−}{}^7\mathrm{Be}\text{−}\mathrm{Si}$ arrays placed directly in the neutron beam. The present results are consistent, at thermal neutron energy, with the only previous measurement performed in the 1960s at a nuclear reactor. The energy dependence reported here clearly indicates the inadequacy of the cross section estimates currently used in BBN calculations. Although new measurements at higher neutron energy may still be needed, the n_TOF results hint at a minor role of this reaction in BBN, leaving the long-standing cosmological lithium problem unsolved.

At the neutron Lime-of-flight facility n_TOF at CERN a new vertical beam line was constructed in 2014, in order to extend the experimental possibilities at this facility to an even wider range of challenging cross-section measurements of interest in astrophysics, nuclear technology and medical physics. The design of the beam line and the experimental hall was based on FLUKA Monte Carlo simulations, aiming at maximizing the neutron flux, reducing the beam halo and minimizing the background from neutrons interacting with the collimator or back-scattered in the beam dump. \ud The present paper gives an overview on the design of the beam line and the relevant elements and provides an outlook on the expected performance regarding the neutron beam intensity, shape and energy resolution, as well as the neutron and photon backgroundsPostprint (author's final draft

Photoneutron cross sections were measured for ${}^{94}$Mo, ${}^{95}$Mo, ${}^{96}$Mo, ${}^{97}$Mo, ${}^{98}$Mo, and ${}^{100}$Mo near the neutron threshold with quasi-monochromatic laser-Compton scattering $\gamma$ rays. The photoneutron data were analyzed with the Skyrme Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) plus quasiparticle random phase approximation (QRPA) model and the axially symmetric-deformed Gogny HFB plus QRPA model of $E1$ $\gamma$-ray strength. Combining the $\gamma$-ray strength function constrained by the present photoneutron data with either the nuclear resonance fluorescence data or the updated Oslo data to supplement the data below the neutron threshold, a thorough analysis of the reverse $(n,\gamma )$ cross sections is made whenever measurements are available. The Oslo data and the corresponding uncertainties are updated based on the latest results of the $s$-wave neutron spacing and the average radiative width determined in particular for ${}^{96}$Mo. Finally, radiative neutron capture cross sections for two radioactive nuclei, ${}^{93}$Mo and ${}^{99}$Mo, are deduced with the $\gamma$-ray strength function method.

We report on the measurement of the ${}^7\mathrm{Be}(n,p){}^7\mathrm{Li}$ cross section from thermal to approximately 325 keV neutron energy, performed in the high-flux experimental area (EAR2) of the n_TOF facility at CERN. This reaction plays a key role in the lithium yield of the big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) for standard cosmology. The only two previous time-of-flight measurements performed on this reaction did not cover the energy window of interest for BBN, and they showed a large discrepancy between each other. The measurement was performed with a Si telescope and a high-purity sample produced by implantation of a ${}^7\mathrm{Be}$ ion beam at the ISOLDE facility at CERN. While a significantly higher cross section is found at low energy, relative to current evaluations, in the region of BBN interest, the present results are consistent with the values inferred from the time-reversal ${}^7\mathrm{Li}(p,n){}^7\mathrm{Be}$ reaction, thus yielding only a relatively minor improvement on the so-called cosmological lithium problem. The relevance of these results on the near-threshold neutron production in the $p+{}^7\mathrm{Li}$ reaction is also discussed.