Derivation and quantitative analysis of the differential self-interrogation Feynman-alpha method

TL;DR

This paper develops a stochastic theory for a two-energy-level neutron population to evaluate the differential self-interrogation Feynman-alpha method's effectiveness using Monte Carlo simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a new theoretical framework and numerical approach to assess the Feynman-alpha method in complex neutron systems.

Findings

Validated the applicability of the Feynman-alpha method through numerical simulations.

Identified key reaction intensities influencing the method's accuracy.

Provided insights into the exponential behaviors in neutron populations.

Abstract

A stochastic theory for a branching process in a neutron population with two energy levels is used to assess the applicability of the differential self-interrogation Feynman-alpha method by numerically estimated reaction intensities from Monte Carlo simulations. More specifically, the variance to mean or Feynman-alpha formula is applied to investigate the appearing exponentials using the numerically obtained reaction intensities.