Differential cross section measurements of the 18O(p, a0)15N reaction at 170º and 160º, in the energy range Ep=1-2MeV

In the present work, the differential cross-sections of the 18O(p,α0)15N reaction were determined using the absolute measurement technique, in the proton energy range Ep=1–2 MeV for NRA purposes. The experiment was carried out in energy steps of 10 or 20 keV. Two detection angles, 170° and 160°, were measured, employing 500 μm thick Surface-Barrier-Back-Scattering detectors in a high-precision goniometric chamber. The target, a thin layer of Ta2O5 highly enriched in 18O, was deposited ona thick tantalum foil via anodization. Its thickness was provided by the manufacturer and independently verified experimentally using the 18O(d,α0) reaction. SIMNRA simulations were performed to determine the Q•Ω value, incorporating a pile-up calculation routine. The obtained results were compared with previously published data, allowing for a comprehensive analysis of both similarities and discrepancies. The reaction’s differential cross-section was determined using the absolute measurement technique. The final results revealed larger cross-section values compared to the existing literature ones. Some of the observed discrepancies were attributed to inaccuracies in the database entries. These coherent differential cross-section datasets are expected to facilitate the extension of the existing SigmaCalc evaluation of the 18O(p,α0) reaction to higher energies in the near future.