Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis of $^{188}$RE

Prompt $\gamma$ activation analysis was used to determine partial $\gamma$ production cross sections from the $^{187}$Re(n,$\gamma$)$^{188}$Re reaction at the Budapest Neutron Centre in Budapest, Hungary. The 10-MW$_{t}$ research reactor provided the source of neutrons, which were cooled to a spectrum of $\sim$140 K and collimated onto a target of powdered rhenium metal enriched to 99.52\% $^{187}$Re. Prompt $\gamma$ spectra were collected with a single Compton-suppressed HPGe detector. Subsequent fitting of the raw spectral data produced precise energies and intensities of the observed transitions. The $^{188}$Re cross sections were determined by standardizing measured peak intensities to well-known $^{35}$Cl(n,$\gamma$)$^{36}$Cl cross sections via a second spectrum from a sample of ReCl$_{3}$. However, the non-trivial volume of the enriched sample resulted in energy-dependent self-attenuation of $\gamma$-rays originating in the sample bulk. This necessitated estimating the effective optical thickness of the enriched sample to derive intensity adjustments, particularly for $\gamma$-rays below $\sim$300 keV. Forthcoming analysis will use statistical decay modeling to predict the population of known levels from the neutron-capture state for comparison with observed cross sections.