Abstract: (α,n) reactions, particularly on light nuclei, have a broad range of applications including nuclear astrophysics, nuclear non-proliferation, next generation reactors, and low-background experiments. While total cross section data often exists on these nuclei, partial cross section data is often missing or incomplete which is needed to accurately constraint evaluations and predict neutron energy spectra. 

In this talk, I will discuss recent work on tackling these partial cross sections through neutron spectroscopic measurements using the state-of-the-art Oak Ridge Deuterated Spectroscopic Array (ODeSA). I will provide an overview of the neutron spectrum unfolding technique and highlight a few recent (α,n) cross section measurements on light nuclei, namely ¹⁰B(α,n)¹⁰N and ¹³C(α,n)¹⁶O, and their implications for nuclear astrophysics and geoneutrino and neutrino mixing measurements.