Validation of JENDL High-Energy File through Analyses of Spallation Experiments at Incident Proton Energies from 0.5 to 2.83 GeV

Abstract

The most updated version of the JENDL high-energy file, JENDL/HE-2007, was validated with a focus on heavy elements of W, Pb, and Hg through analyses of spallation experiments using thick targets at incident proton energies from 0.5 to 2.83 GeV. For this purpose, the processing of the PHITS code system was adjusted to simulate nucleon transport phenomena using only a cross-section library including pionproduction data up to 3 GeV with the aid of an intranuclear cascade evaporation model to treat reactions induced by accompanied pions. It was found that the data up to 3 GeV in JENDL/HE-2007 predict the neutron spectra produced in thick targets with energies lower than 15MeV with good accuracy while they underestimate those from 20 to 100MeV by a factor of 0.4 to 0.5. It is also confirmed from analyses of the reaction rates in thick targets that the cross-section data of the dosimetry reactions of 93Nb(n,4n)90Nb and 59Co(n,4n)56Co for high-energy neutron field are reasonable. The present benchmark is the first index that JENDL/HE-2007 is applicable to neutronic design for a spallation-based facility with almost the same accuracy as for a conventional methodology using the intranuclear cascade model of Bertini and generalized evaporation model (GEM).