Photoneutron Dataset Generation and Analysis at SLEGS

Abstract: Photoneutron data are increasingly used in basic research of nuclear physics and in applications of nuclear technology. China has long encountered a bottleneck in the independent measurement of photoneutron cross sections due to the lack of dedicated gamma sources. The Shanghai Laser Electron Gamma Source (SLEGS), based on laser Compton scattering (LCS), provides energy-tunable and quasi-monoenergetic gamma beams, opening up a new avenue for high-precision photonuclear research. This paper focuses on the Flat-Efficiency Detector (FED) array of SLEGS and its application in photoneutron cross section measurements. The systematic uncertainty of FED was verified to be 3.02% through the calibration of a 252Cf neutron source. Additionally, it employs 197Au and 159Tb as case studies to demonstrate the format and processing methods of raw photoneutron data. The results confirm the application potential of SLEGS in the measurement of photoneutron cross sections, with SLEGS capable of supporting the independent acquisition of photoneutron data in China.