Nuclear data
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Nuclear data represents measured (or evaluated) probabilities of various physical interactions involving the nuclei of atoms. It is used to understand the nature of such interactions by providing the fundamental input to many models and simulations, such as fission and
fusion Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole. Fusion may also refer to: Science and technology Physics *Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...
reactor calculations, shielding and radiation protection calculations, criticality safety, nuclear weapons,
nuclear physics Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...
research, medical radiotherapy, radioisotope therapy and diagnostics,
particle accelerator A particle accelerator is a machine that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to very high speeds and energies, and to contain them in well-defined beams. Large accelerators are used for fundamental research in particle ...
design and operations, geological and environmental work, radioactive waste disposal calculations, and space travel calculations. It groups all
experimental data Experimental data in science and engineering is data produced by a measurement, test method, experimental design or quasi-experimental design. In clinical research any data produced are the result of a clinical trial. Experimental data may be qua ...
relevant for
nuclear physics Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...
and nuclear applications. It includes a large number of physical quantities, like scattering and reaction cross sections (which are generally functions of energy and angle), nuclear structure and
nuclear decay Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is consid ...
parameters, etc. It can involve
neutron The neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol or , which has a neutral (not positive or negative) charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton. Protons and neutrons constitute the nuclei of atoms. Since protons and neutrons beh ...
s, protons,
deuteron Deuterium (or hydrogen-2, symbol or deuterium, also known as heavy hydrogen) is one of two stable isotopes of hydrogen (the other being protium, or hydrogen-1). The nucleus of a deuterium atom, called a deuteron, contains one proton and one n ...
s,
alpha particle Alpha particles, also called alpha rays or alpha radiation, consist of two protons and two neutrons bound together into a particle identical to a helium-4 nucleus. They are generally produced in the process of alpha decay, but may also be pr ...
s, and virtually all nuclear isotopes which can be handled in a
laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physic ...
. There are two major reasons to need high-quality nuclear data: theoretical model development of
nuclear physics Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...
, and applications involving radiation and
nuclear power Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced ...
. There is often an interplay between these two aspects, since applications often motivate research in particular theoretical fields, and theory can be used to predict quantities or phenomena which can lead to new or improved technological concepts.


Nuclear Data Evaluations

To ensure a level of quality required to protect the public, experimental nuclear data results are occasionally ''evaluated'' by a Nuclear Data Organization to form a nuclear data library. These organizations review multiple measurements and agree upon the highest-quality measurements before publishing the libraries. For unmeasured or very complex data regimes, the parameters of nuclear models are adjusted until the resulting data matches well with critical experiments. The result of an evaluation is almost universally stored as a set of data files in Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF) format. To keep the size of these files reasonable, they contain a combination of actual data tables and
resonance Resonance describes the phenomenon of increased amplitude that occurs when the frequency of an applied Periodic function, periodic force (or a Fourier analysis, Fourier component of it) is equal or close to a natural frequency of the system ...
parameters that can be reconstructed into pointwise data with specialized tools (such a
NJOY
.


Nuclear Data Organizations

*The International Network of Nuclear Reaction Data Centres (NRDC) constitutes a worldwide cooperation of nuclear data centres under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Network was established to coordinate the worldwide collection, compilation and dissemination of nuclear reaction data. * The Cross Section Evaluation Working Group (CSEWG) is the National Nuclear Data Organization of the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. This is a cooperative effort of the national laboratories, industry, and universities that produces the ENDF/B file. * The Joint Evaluated Fission and Fusion File (JEFF) organization consists of members of the
Nuclear Energy Agency The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is an intergovernmental agency that is organized under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Originally formed on 1 February 1958 with the name European Nuclear Energy Agency (ENEA)— ...
(NEA) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). They produce the JEFF file, which is also in the universal ENDF format. * The Japanese Nuclear Data Committee (JNDC) handles the Japanese Evaluated Nuclear Data Library (JENDL). This effort is coordinated through the Nuclear Data Center at the
Japan Atomic Energy Agency The is an Independent Administrative Institution formed on October 1, 2005 by a merger of two previous semi-governmental organizations. While it inherited the activities of both JNC and JAERI, it also inherited the nickname of JAERI, "Genken" ...
(JAEA).


Releases of ENDF/B Files

The historical releases of ENDF/B files are summarized below. The historical releases of JEFF files are summarized below.


See also

*
Nuclear reaction In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, a nuclear reaction is a process in which two nuclei, or a nucleus and an external subatomic particle, collide to produce one or more new nuclides. Thus, a nuclear reaction must cause a transformatio ...
*
Nuclear force The nuclear force (or nucleon–nucleon interaction, residual strong force, or, historically, strong nuclear force) is a force that acts between the protons and neutrons of atoms. Neutrons and protons, both nucleons, are affected by the nucle ...


External links


XSPlot an online nuclear cross section plotterInternational Network of Nuclear Reaction Data Centres (NRDC)IAEA Nuclear Data Section: Nuclear Data ServicesNational Nuclear Data Center: Brookhaven National LaboratoryJAEA Nuclear Data CenterJoint Evaluated Fission and Fusion File (JEFF)Cross Section Evaluation Working Group (CSEWG) Data Formats for ENDF-6T-2 Nuclear Information ServiceJANIS NEA Nuclear Data Information System


References

{{Reflist Data, nuclear