Perspective on advances in resonance-region nuclear modeling and opportunities for future research

Abstract

Abstract. The advent of high-fidelity radiation-transport modeling capabilities, coupled with the need to analyze complex nuclear systems, has served to emphasize the importance of high-precision cross section data, including the associated covariance information. Due to the complex nature of resonance-region interactions, cross section data cannot be calculated directly from theory; rather, high-precision resonance-region cross section measurements must be made at facilities such as the Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator (ORELA) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Geel Electron Linear Accelerator (GELINA), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). To extract accurate cross section data from these measurements, detailed nuclear modeling of the measured data is performed to parameterize the cross section behavior in the resonance range. The objective of this paper is to highlight recent advances in resonance-region nuclear modeling with particular emphasis on the covariance analysis capabilities. Opportunities for future research are identified in an effort to stimulate further advances in the state of the art nuclear modeling capabilities.