Calculating thermal neutron cross-section and resonance integrals of the 165Ho(n,γ)166gHo, 170Er(n,γ)171Er, 186W(n,γ)187W, and 174Yb(n,γ)175Yb reactions using GEANT4 and TALYS codes

A simulation method using GEANT4-10.7 and TALYS-1.96 nuclear packages was applied to calculate the thermal neutron capture cross-section (σ) and resonance integral (I) for the ¹⁶⁵Ho(n,γ)^166gHo, ¹⁷⁰Er(n,γ)¹⁷¹Er, ¹⁸⁶W(n,γ)¹⁸⁷W, and ¹⁷⁴Yb(n,γ)¹⁷⁵Yb reactions. The ¹⁹⁷Au(n,γ)¹⁹⁸Au reaction (σ = 98.65 barns and I = 1550 barns) was selected as the single comparator reaction for assisting the resonance integral calculations. The average values of the thermal neutron cross-section and resonance integral for the four reactions based on the present simulated results and previous experimental and evaluated data were computed to be 62.27 ± 2.45, 7.7 ± 0.8, 37.8 ± 1.8, and 86.989 ± 3.56 barns for the σ parameter, and 675 ± 36, 39.24 ± 3.65, 465.3 ± 33.4, 46.188 ± 3.04 barns for the I parameter, respectively. The simulated results, experimental and evaluated data, and average values were in good agreement with each other.