Bremsstrahlung and photo-neutron yields from 5–25 MeV electrons on thin slabs of Al, Fe, Cu and Pb

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a rapid growth in the use of low and medium energy electron accelerators for industrial and medical applications. Facilities of greater beam power for bulk processing are also under consideration. In planning these facilities, data on bremsstrahlung and photo-neutron yields from natural element targets of various thicknesses by electrons up to 25 MeV are required for target and shielding designs. In this paper, bremsstrahlung yields are calculated by the Monte-Carlo method using the code ETRAN. Neutron yields are calculated with the track length distributions from ETRAN and compiled neutron cross sections. The use of the Monte-Carlo method and evaluated neutron cross sections provides more reliable neutron yields, particularly at energies close to the photo-neutron thresholds. Data on structural materials including Al, Fe, Cu and Pb are presented.