Neutron total cross sections at intermediate energies

High-energy neutron transport file for the 209Bi isotope

The simulation of the nuclear processes, occurring in media irradiated with high-energy particles, promote the elaboration of high-energy transport files. These files being used in versatile computer codes, such as MCNP, allow to simulate with high accuracy particle transport. High-energy transport files are very important for the investigation of accelerator-driven systems. The detailed description of the methods and codes used for the elaboration of the file for 209 Bi is presented in this paper.

Nuclear reactions in proton, neutron, and photon radiotherapy

This review article provides an overview, for medical physicists, of recent work that addresses the role of nuclear reactions in proton, fast neutron, and conventional photon radiation therapy. Nuclear reaction cross sections have been evaluated, in ENDF format, for use in Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations of radiotherapy, in order to optimize the absorbed dose to a tumor. The evaluations utilize both measured cross section data as well as nuclear model calculations of direct, preequilibrium, and Hauser-Feshbach compound processes. In the case of photonuclear reactions, giant dipole resonance and quasideuteron photoabsorption mechanisms are considered.

Predicting total reaction cross sections for nucleon-nucleus scattering

Nucleon total reaction and neutron total cross sections to 300 MeV for 12C and 208Pb, and for 65 MeV scattering spanning the mass range, are predicted using coordinate space optical potentials formed by full folding of effective nucleon-nucleon interactions with realistic nuclear ground state densities. Good to excellent agreement is found with existing data.

A consistent set of neutron kerma coefficients from thermal to 150 MeV for biologically important materials

Neutron cross sections for nonelastic and elastic reactions on a range of elements have been evaluated for incident energies up to 150 MeV. These cross sections agree well with experimental cross section data for charged-particle production as well as neutron and photon production. Therefore they can be used to determine kerma coefficients for calculations of energy deposition by neutrons in matter. Methods used to evaluate the neutron cross sections above 20 MeV, using nuclear model calculations and experimental data, are described. Below 20 MeV, the evaluated cross sections from the ENDF/B-VI library are adopted. Comparisons are shown between the evaluated charged-particle production cross sections and measured data. Kerma coefficients are derived from the neutron cross sections, for major isotopes of H, C, N, O, Al, Si, P, Ca, Fe, Cu, W, Pb, and for ICRU-muscle, A-150 tissue-equivalent plastic, and other compounds important for treatment planning and dosimetry. Numerous comparisons are made between our kerma coefficients and experimental kerma coefficient data, to validate our results, and agreement is found to be good. An important quantity in neutron dosimetry is the kerma coefficient ratio of ICRU-muscle to A-150 plastic. When this ratio is calculated from our kerma coefficient data, and averaged over the neutron energy spectra for higher-energy clinical therapy beams [three p (68) + Be beams, and a d (48.5) + Be beam], a value of 0.94 +/- 0.03 is obtained. Kerma ratios for water to A-150 plastic, and carbon to oxygen, are also compared with measurements where available.