Comprehensive Cross-Section Database Development for Generalized Three-Dimensional Radiation Transport Codes

Abstract

To correctly specify the composition and spectra of transmitted heavy-ion radiation fields, such as those encountered in space radiation protection studies, accurate values of the total, elastic scattering, reaction cross sections, and spectral and angular distributions of all emitted particles (nucleons, light ions, and heavy ions) from the nuclear interactions of propagating high-energy heavy-ion particles with target nuclei are required. For space radiation protection studies, this means that double-differential (energy and angle) isotope production cross sections must be known for all stable nuclear isotopes with mass numbers from 1 to about 60 colliding with any target nucleus at energies from tens of mega-electron-volts per nucleon up to several giga-electron-volts per nucleon. Currently there are several radiation transport codes that transport high-energy nucleons, light ions, heavy ions, or some combination of them. None, however, transport all of these particles in more than one dimension. In order to make a comprehensive tool for space applications that transports all of these particles, with a wide range of energies and in three dimensions, the database described above is needed, particularly for light and heavy ions. This paper discusses the creation of this comprehensive cross-section database.