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Main Authors: Chen, Shengli, Wang, Tianxiang
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.12757
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author Chen, Shengli
Wang, Tianxiang
author_facet Chen, Shengli
Wang, Tianxiang
contents Neutron-induced nuclear reaction data on beryllium playing a crucial role in nuclear application. However, discrepancies have been observed in two closely related series of beryllium-reflector fast-spectrum critical benchmark experiments, HMF-058 and HMF-066, which are widely used in current nuclear data validation. In this work, we address these inconsistencies by improving the secondary angular distributions of the (n,n) and (n,2n) reactions of beryllium, thereby making the theoretical calculations (C) and experimental results (E) of these two series more consistent, and reducing the cumulative ${χ^2}$ value from 7.58 using the ENDF/B-VII.1 to 4.52. All calculations based on the improved nuclear data agree with the experimental measurements within 1$σ$ experimental uncertainty. Based on the latest comprehensive evaluation of uranium nuclear data, this consistency is slightly improved, and the cumulative ${χ^2}$ value decreases to 4.36 once again. Despite these advances, systematic differences in the expected values of C/E between the two series still exist. The C/E values of the HMF-066 series are generally 230-330 pcm lower than those of the HMF-058 series, comparable to their experimental uncertainties of 200-400 pcm. Therefore, drawing a definitive conclusion about this systematic difference remains challenging. If the current improvement of differential nuclear data based on experimental data of ${^9}$Be is accurate, then the HMF-058 series experiments seem to be more reliable than the HMF-066 series.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_12757
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Consistency analysis and nuclear data validation for two series of beryllium reflector critical benchmark experiments
Chen, Shengli
Wang, Tianxiang
Applied Physics
Neutron-induced nuclear reaction data on beryllium playing a crucial role in nuclear application. However, discrepancies have been observed in two closely related series of beryllium-reflector fast-spectrum critical benchmark experiments, HMF-058 and HMF-066, which are widely used in current nuclear data validation. In this work, we address these inconsistencies by improving the secondary angular distributions of the (n,n) and (n,2n) reactions of beryllium, thereby making the theoretical calculations (C) and experimental results (E) of these two series more consistent, and reducing the cumulative ${χ^2}$ value from 7.58 using the ENDF/B-VII.1 to 4.52. All calculations based on the improved nuclear data agree with the experimental measurements within 1$σ$ experimental uncertainty. Based on the latest comprehensive evaluation of uranium nuclear data, this consistency is slightly improved, and the cumulative ${χ^2}$ value decreases to 4.36 once again. Despite these advances, systematic differences in the expected values of C/E between the two series still exist. The C/E values of the HMF-066 series are generally 230-330 pcm lower than those of the HMF-058 series, comparable to their experimental uncertainties of 200-400 pcm. Therefore, drawing a definitive conclusion about this systematic difference remains challenging. If the current improvement of differential nuclear data based on experimental data of ${^9}$Be is accurate, then the HMF-058 series experiments seem to be more reliable than the HMF-066 series.
title Consistency analysis and nuclear data validation for two series of beryllium reflector critical benchmark experiments
topic Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.12757