Overview of Recent Research Activities at the nToF Facility at CERN, Related to Neutron Data and Nuclear Astrophysics

Abstract:  The neutron time-of-flight facility, nToF, has been operating at CERN since 2001. It is based on a pulsed neutron source coupled to two different flight paths (namely EAR1-185 m long, set horizontally with respect to the beam axis and EAR2-20 m long, set vertically), designed to study neutron-nucleus interactions for neutron energies ranging from a few meV to several GeV. The wide energy range and high-intensity neutron beams produced at nToF are used to make precise measurements of neutron-related processes. A new experimental facility, the so-called NEAR station, set really close to the spallation target and especially tuned for nuclear astrophysics and radiation damage studies, is currently under commissioning. Neutron time-of-flight measurements contribute in an important way to the understanding of stellar evolution and supernovae, while intense neutron beams are also important in studies of how to incinerate radioactive nuclear waste. The current presentation is an overview of all the recent research activities of the nuclear physics group of NTUA at nToF related to these fields.