Intermediate-energy neutron driven reactions on targets composed of O, Si, Fe, Bi, and U: A comparison of MCNP6 and PHITS

Abstract

In this work, MCNP and PHITS codes were used to calculate the cross sections at angles of 20°, 40°, 60°, 80°, 100°, 120°, 140°, and 160° for light ions (p, d, t, and α) production in O, Si, Fe, Bi, and U targets caused by 63 MeV and 96 MeV neutron beams. The comparison between the available experimental results and theoretical models displays some variations, particularly for light nuclei targets and atomic mass numbers of emission particles. In proton spectra, both models estimate the cross sections in all scattering angles very well in low and high-emitted protons. In the case of deuteron spectra, MCNP and PHITS fairly describe the experimental cross-sections, but at backward scattering angles, they underestimate the cross-section values. MCNP presents the experimental results in a more accurate manner than PHITS calculations. However, there are significant variations in the alpha cross section calculations for both codes, especially at low and high energies. The comparison additionally demonstrated several issues that need close attention to improve the consistency of these spallation models and neutron-induced light particle production (DDX) in the intermediate region.