Proton induced reactions on 118Sn target at energies up to 18 MeV

Abstract

Proton-induced reactions on enriched 118Sn up to 18 MeV have been investigated. Using the stacked-foil activation technique, the excitation functions of the reactions 118Sn(p,n)118Sb, 118Sn(p,2n)117Sb, 118Sn(p,{\alpha})115mIn, and 118Sn(p,x)117mSn were measured. The available experimental data show good agreement with our measurements. The cross sections for the 118Sn(p,x)117mSn and 118Sn(p,{\alpha})115mIn reactions are reported for the first time. The measured cross sections were compared not only with previously published experimental results, but also with theoretical predictions from the TENDL-2023 (TALYS-based evaluated nuclear data library), TENDL-2025 and JENDL-5 (Japanese Evaluated Nuclear Data Library) libraries. Discrepancies between experimental and theoretical data were observed for reactions involving composite-particle emission, such as alpha particles and deuterons. These differences suggest that while current models adequately describe simple two-nucleon emission channels, further refinements are needed, particularly for modeling composite-particle emission at lower proton energies.