ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
August 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Remembering ANS member Gil Brown
Brown
The nuclear community is mourning the loss of Gilbert Brown, who passed away on July 11 at the age of 77 following a battle with cancer.
Brown, an American Nuclear Society Fellow and an ANS member for nearly 50 years, joined the faculty at Lowell Technological Institute—now the University of Massachusetts–Lowell—in 1973 and remained there for the rest of his career. He eventually became director of the UMass Lowell nuclear engineering program. After his retirement, he remained an emeritus professor at the university.
Sukesh Aghara, chair of the Nuclear Engineering Department Heads Organization, noted in an email to NEDHO members and others that “Gil was a relentless advocate for nuclear energy and a deeply respected member of our professional community. He was also a kind and generous friend—and one of the reasons I ended up at UMass Lowell. He served the university with great dedication. . . . Within NEDHO, Gil was a steady presence and served for many years as our treasurer. His contributions to nuclear engineering education and to this community will be dearly missed.”
L. R. Fawcett, Jr., A. Keith Furr, J. G. Lindsay
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 49 | Number 3 | November 1972 | Pages 317-329
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE72-A22545
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Neutron capture cross sections for 154Sm, 160Gd, 164Dy, and 165Ho (ground state) have been investigated in the energy range from 5 to 160 keV. Capture cross section data in this energy region that are currently available for 165 Ho varies by approximately a factor of two between different workers and for 154Sm, 160Gd, and 164Dy little or no previously published data are available in this energy range. The present work represents an attempt to remove some of the uncertainty in the case of 165 Ho and to provide original data for the other three isotopes over the 5 to 160 keV region. This work was done by activation of metal samples of the above mentioned rare earths and counting the decay products with a well type plastic scintillator. Samples were activated by neutrons generated by the 7Li(p,n)7 Be reaction with the samples being placed at 90 deg with respect to the neutron target. The 0.820 b capture cross section of 127I at 25 keV was used as the standard for normalization along with the thermal neutron capture cross sections of the isotopes. From the experimental cross section curves the γ-ray strength functions, the s-wave neutron strength functions, and the p-wave neutron strength functions were determined. These parameters are the first to be determined for samarium and dysprosium over an energy region this broad while for gadolinium, only one other comparable set exists.
