Neutron-Capture Cross Sections forTe128andTe130and the Xenon Anomaly in Old Tellurium Ores

The ${}_{}{}^{128}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Te}(n,\gamma )$ and ${}_{}{}^{130}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Te}(n,\gamma )$ cross sections have been measured between 0.5 eV and 7000 eV with an energy resolution of 0.4%. 16 prominent resonances were observed for ${}_{}{}^{128}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Te}$, while only six were observed for ${}_{}{}^{130}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Te}$ in this energy region. The areas under these resonances have been obtained and values for the total radiation widths have been extracted. The average total radiation widths for ${}_{}{}^{128}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Te}$ and ${}_{}{}^{130}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Te}$ obtained from these measurements are 33 and 54 meV, respectively. These values are barely consistent with an empirical formula dependent on effective-level-excitation energy and level spacing. The resonance absorption integral derived from these measurements indicates that the ratio of excess ${}_{}{}^{129}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Xe}$ to ${}_{}{}^{131}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Xe}$ found in old tellurium ores most likely can be explained by neutron capture in ${}_{}{}^{128}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Te}$ and ${}_{}{}^{130}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Te}$.