Isotopic composition of a sample enriched in Zr-93

Abstract

A project to determine the neutron-capture cross section of long lived fission products and minor actinides has been started by using a beam-line at Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). One of the target nuclides is Zr-93, which was prepared in Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Qualitative and quantitative analyses on the sample were performed at Kyoto University. The isotopic composition of (m) Zr (m 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, and 96) was precisely determined by multi-collector thermal ionization mass spectrometry with < 0.1 % of 2 sigma uncertainty. The atomic abundance of Zr-93 in the sample was determined to be 18.86 +/- A 0.05 %.