Abstract
Cross sections for (n, p) reactions at 14.7 ± 0.3 MeV on forty-eight stable nucleides of the elements calcium, titanium, vanadium, chromium, iron, nickel, copper, zinc, gallium, germanium, arsenic, selenium, bromine, rubidium, strontium, iodine, rhenium, osmium, iridium, platinum and thallium have been measured by the activation technique using Ge(Li) detector γ-ray spectroscopy, wherever necessary chemical separation, and in many cases enriched isotopes as targets. Isomeric (n, p) cross-section ratios have been determined for the isomeric pairs
46m,
gSc,
60m,gCo,
71m,gZn,
84m,gRb and
127m,g Te. The systematics of the (n, p) cross sections were re-investigated and for medium and heavy mass nuclei a strong dependence on (
N −
Z)/
A has been observed. The isotope effect is interpreted in terms of the proton binding energy which varies as a function of (
N −
Z)/
A. The relative competition between the (n, p), (n, α) and (n, 2n) reactions in various mass regions is discussed.