Q6. Briefly explain the tempound nucleus formation Consider a beam of 10 MeV neutrons that strike a {}^56Fe target. Explain the possible interaction processes when the neutrons strike the target. Hence explain the term resonances in compound nucleus formation. Use a sketch to illustrate your explanation.

When a beam of 10 MeV neutrons strikes a ${}^{56}Fe$ target, several interaction processes can occur. One of the possible processes is the formation of a compound nucleus. This happens when the neutron is absorbed by the ${}^{56}Fe$ nucleus, resulting in the formation of a new nucleus with an increased mass number by one. This newly formed nucleus is called the compound nucleus.<br /><br />Resonances in compound nucleus formation refer to the phenomenon where the compound nucleus is formed at specific energy levels, known as resonance energies. At these energies, the compound nucleus is more likely to be formed compared to other energy levels. This is due to the fact that the nucleus is in a state of higher stability at these energies, making it more likely for the compound nucleus to be formed.<br /><br />To illustrate this, consider the following sketch:<br /><br />```<br /> 10 MeV<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br /><br /> |<br /> |<br /> |<br />Determine the binding energy of the compound nucleus by subtracting the mass of the compound nucleus from the total mass of the individual nucleons.