ICTP-IAEA jointly organised workshop on Spallation Models

[Program]

Spallation reactions play an important role in a wide domain of applications ranging from intense neutron sources for condensed matter and material studies, accelerator-driven sub-critical reactors for the transmutation of nuclear waste and rare isotope production to astrophysics, simulation of detector set-ups in nuclear and particle physics experiments, and radiation protection near accelerators or in space. The simulation tools used in these domains are high-energy transport codes in which elementary cross-sections and characteristics of all the reaction products are taken from existing experimental library data or, when experimental data are missing, calculated using nuclear model codes as event generators. Those are generally Monte-Carlo implementations of Intra-Nuclear Cascade (INC) models or Quantum Molecular Dynamics (QMD) models followed by de-excitation (principally evaporation/fission) models. It is of great importance to validate abilities of the various codes to predict reliably, with a known uncertainty, the different quantities relevant for applications.

PURPOSE: This Workshop will facilitate experts and competent practitioners to better understand the physical basis, approximations, strengths and weaknesses of the currently used spallation codes. Presentation of relevant basic experimental data with emphasis on accuracies, detector efficiencies, filters and thresholds will create basis for code validation and inter-comparison. Specifically the workshop will help:

1. To understand in depth, the physics of INC, QMD models and de-excitation models to point out the reasons of their respective successes or deficiencies;
2. To define an agreed set of experimental data to be used in validation and inter-comparison of the models;
3. To promote the exchange of information among researchers in the field;
4. To identify areas of international cooperation in the field.

The agreed set of experimental data will be proposed as an international benchmark and reviewed by experts in a follow-up activity. Results presented and discussions held will be helpful in aspects of target design, experimental and detector layout in general to account amongst others for e.g. the FAIR facility planned at GSI, Darmstadt.

Presentations

Reports

(not submitted yet)