Neutron-Induced Backgrounds on Germanium-76 for Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay Studies

There are many large-scale experiments attempting to measure the neutrinoless double-beta decay of $^{\mathrm{76}}$Ge. As in many rare-event searches, it is vital to understand the potential backgrounds present. One potential background is due to neutron-induced gamma rays emitted by $^{\mathrm{76}}$Ge in the process of neutron inelastic scattering. The Q-value for neutrinoless double-beta decay of $^{\mathrm{76}}$Ge is 2039 keV, so gamma rays emitted in the de-excitation of $^{\mathrm{76}}$Ge above that value are of interest. In this study, we report cross-section results for an incident neutron energy of 4.5 MeV.