EMPIRE-3.2 Malta: modular system for nuclear reaction calculations and nuclear data evaluation [User's Manual]

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Abstract

EMPIRE is a modular system of nuclear reaction codes, comprising various nuclear models, and designed for calculations over a broad range of energies and incident particles. The system can be used for theoretical investigations of nuclear reactions as well as for nuclear data evaluation work. Photons, nucleons, deuterons, tritons, helions (3He), α’s, and light or heavy ions can be selected as projectiles. The energy range starts just above the resonance region in the case of a neutron projectile, and extends up to few hundred MeV for heavy ion induced reactions. The code accounts for the major nuclear reaction models, such as optical model, Coupled Channels and DWBA (ECIS06 and OPTMAN), Multi-step Direct (ORION + TRISTAN), NVWY Multi-step Compound, exciton model (PCROSS), hybrid Monte Carlo simulation (DDHMS), and the full featured Hauser-Feshbach model including width fluctuations and the optical model for fission. Heavy ion fusion cross section can be calculated within the simplified coupled channels approach (CCFUS). A comprehensive library of input parameters based on the RIPL-3 library covers nuclear masses, optical model parameters, ground state deformations, discrete levels and decay schemes, level densities, fission barriers, and γ-ray strength functions. Effects of the dynamic deformation of a fast rotating nucleus can be taken into account in the calculations (BARFIT, MOMFIT). The results can be converted into the ENDF-6 format using the accompanying EMPEND code. Modules of the ENDF Utility Codes and the ENDF Pre-Processing codes are applied for ENDF file verification. The package contains the full EXFOR library of experimental data in computational format C4 that are automatically retrieved during the calculations. EMPIRE contains the resonance module that retrieves data from the electronic version of the Atlas of Neutron Resonances by Mughabghab (not provided with the EMPIRE distribution), to produce resonance section and related covariances for the ENDF-6 formatted files. EMPIRE can be used to determine covariances of the calculated data using either sensitivity matrices along with the KALMAN code or employing Monte Carlo approach to produce model generated covariances. In both cases experimental data can be taken into account, either directly (KALMAN) or by feeding the EMPIRE calculated Monte Carlo modelling covariance as a prior to the least square fitting GANDR system. Publication quality graphs can be obtained using the powerful and flexible plotting package ZVView. Interactive plots with ZVView comparing experimental results with calculations can be produced with ENDVER modules. The backbone of the EMPIRE system are bash-shell UNIX scripts that provide for seamless console operation of EMPIRE on Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows with GNU gfortran compiler installed. Additionally, the graphical interface, provides for an easy operation of the system on Linux, Mac OS X and virtual Linux machines running on Microsoft Windows.

Related Papers

• → Characterization of a neutron–beta counting system with beta-delayed neutron emitters(2015)44 cited
• → Evaluation of Neutron Nuclear Data on Arsenic-75 for JENDL-4(2010)9 cited
• → A Determination of the Rate of Emission of Spontaneous Fission Neutrons by Natural Uranium(1952)19 cited
• → Neutron Emission Profile of d-Be Reaction with Low-energy Deuteron Beam for Accelerator Neutron Source(2008)2 cited
• → Evaluation of Neutron Nuclear Data on Arsenic-75 for JENDL-4(2010)4 cited