title: Neutron cross-sections and kerma values for carbon, nitrogen and oxygen from 20 to 50 MeV.
abstract: The advent of high energy neutron radiotherapy will require the neutron cross-section data and kerma factors for elements of biomedical importance to be extended up to and possibly above 50 MeV. Nuclear model calculations have been employed to produce a set of neutron cross-sections for C, N and O from 20 to 50 MeV. The strategy employed involves the optical model fitting of experimental total cross-sections to produce elastic and non-elastic cross-sections. The non-elastic cross-section is then used to normalise the individual reaction cross-sections and charged particle spectra produced by the statistical model of level densities. Kerma values are obtained from charged particle and recoil nucleus spectra. A comparison is made with other kerma calculations, based on the intranuclear cascade-evaporation model, which are consistently lower than the results presented in this paper.
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon; D004735:Energy Transfer; D007700:Kinetics; D008433:Mathematics; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009502:Neutrons; D009584:Nitrogen; D010100:Oxygen; D011851:Radioactivity
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen; D010100:Oxygen