EXFOR utility codes (ForEXy) and their application to neutron fission cross section evaluation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new set of utility codes and a JSON format for processing EXFOR nuclear reaction data, enabling improved data management and evaluation of neutron fission cross sections.

Contribution

Development of ForEXy utility codes and J4 JSON format for EXFOR data, including conversion tools and application to neutron fission cross section evaluation.

Findings

Constructed covariance matrices for Np-237 fission cross sections.

Applied new codes to evaluate cross sections between 100 keV and 200 MeV.

Enhanced data processing capabilities for nuclear reaction data.

Abstract

We developed a set of EXFOR utility codes (ForEXy) to process the information of the experimental nuclear reaction data stored in the EXFOR library. We designed a new JSON format (J4) for the EXFOR library, and developed a code converting the information in an EXFOR file to a J4 file (X4TOJ4) and another code converting it to an EXFOR file (J4TOX4) as a core part of this new code package. We also developed some other codes for managements of the EXFOR storage, bibliography and dictionary. As an application of the new code package, we constructed covariance matrices for the fast neutron induced fission cross sections of neptunium-237 in the EXFOR library by using the new codes, and applied them to evaluation of the cross section between 100 keV and 200 MeV.