Differential Elastic Scattering of Neutrons from Neon

Neutron elastic scattering from neon of natural abundance has been investigated in the energy range 0.8 to 1.9 Mev. The total cross section was measured by the standard method of attenuating a neutron beam by a sample, which in this case was neon gas contained in a meter-long steel cylinder at high pressure. Differential cross sections were observed both by measuring neon recoil energies in a proportional counter and also by detecting neutrons with an anthracene crystal in coincidence with neon recoils. The combination of techniques shows up resonances at the following energies (in Mev) with spin and parity assignments given in parentheses: 0.91 ($\frac{3}{2}-$); 1.28 ($\frac{3}{2}-$); 1.31 (½-); 1.37 ($\frac{3}{2} or \frac{5}{2}+$); 1.62 ($\frac{3}{2}-$); 1.68 ($\frac{3}{2}+$); and 1.85 (...). These resonances have reduced widths of the order of one percent of the Wigner limits.