The total neutron production from the alpha induced reaction on natural Zirconium

A significant amount of alpha particles, upto $\sim$ 35 MeV are produced in the reactor environment. Alpha induced reaction on natural Zirconium, a reactor component, upto 40 MeV has been measured using stacked foil activation technique. The total neutron production cross section from all possible channels for $\alpha$ energies upto 35 MeV is also estimated using TALYS 1.96. The isomeric cross section ratio for the production of the radionuclide $^{95}Nb$ has been measured and reported for the first time.