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Marcath, Matthew J.

Publications and source records attributed to Marcath, Matthew J..

Experimental validation of scintillator detector response to correlated neutrons with MCNP and associated packages

Time, energy, and angle correlated neutrons are emitted in nuclear fission. New, physics-based fission event generators that capture these correlations have been incorporated into MCNP6.2 because correlations can impact nuclear non-proliferation and safeguards systems response. DRiFT is a detector response code that takes MCNP outputs and reproduces laboratory analogous detector quantities. Previous work has compared DRiFT to single detector experiment data and has discussed recent updates to DRiFT specific to correlated fission experiments. In this work, we demonstrate a validation of recent updates to DRiFT for organic scintillator response in correlated fission neutron experiments using a 252Cf source. Furthermore, outputs from MCNP with the FREYA fission event generator were post-processed with DRiFT and compared to experiment data. Simulation and experiment results are in reasonably good agreement for multiple correlated neutron quantities.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Event-by-event neutron–photon multiplicity correlations in 252Cf(sf)

Excited nuclear fragments are emitted during nuclear fission. The de-excitation of these fission fragments takes place as sequential emission of neutrons followed by photons. A correlation between neutron and photon multiplicities accompanying fission is thus expected. Fission event generators based on established statistical nuclear physics models predict a negative event-by-event correlation in neutron-photon multiplicity. A survey of published experimental results of an event-by-event covariance between the neutron - photon multiplicities emitted following the spontaneous fission of 252 Cf is presented. Analytic unfolding expressions are developed in this work to determine the bias introduced by background sources, particle misclassification, pulse pileup, and inelastic photon production. The published experimental data are re-analyzed using these unfolding techniques and are found to be in qualitative agreement with the predictions of model-based calculations. Finally, in particular, we have concluded that there exists a significant event-by-event neutron-photon emission competition following the spontaneous fission of 252 Cf.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗