The McGNASH nuclear reaction code and its use for gas production cross-section calculations

Abstract

The McGNASH nuclear reaction code being developed at Los Alamos is presented. It is a modern version of the well-known GNASH code, which implements the Hauser–Feshbach theory of the compound nucleus evaporation and takes into account corrections from the pure statistical formalism (direct reactions, pre-equilibrium processes, etc.). Its use spans neutron-, proton- and photon-induced reactions on target nuclei starting from A ≃ 20 and up, and for incident energies from tens of keV up to about 200 MeV. Its application to the determination of gas production cross-sections for the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative is presented.