We use particle-transport simulations to show that secondary pions play a crucial role for the development of the hadronic cascade and therefore for the production of neutrons and photons from thick spallation targets. In particular, for the n_TOF lead spallation target, irradiated with 20 GeV/c protons, neutral pions are involved in the production of ∼ 90 % of the high-energy photons; charged pions participate in ∼ 40 % of the integral neutron yield. Nevertheless, photon and neutron yields are shown to be relatively insensitive to large changes of the average pion multiplicity in the individual spallation reactions. We characterize this robustness as a peculiar property of hadronic cascades in thick targets.
Mancusi, D., Lo Meo, S., Colonna, N., Boudard, A., Cortés-Giraldo, M.A., Cugnon, J., et al. (2017). On the role of secondary pions in spallation targets. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. A, HADRONS AND NUCLEI, 53(5), 1-16 [10.1140/epja/i2017-12263-0].
On the role of secondary pions in spallation targets
LO MEO, SERGIO;MASSIMI, CRISTIAN;
2017
Abstract
We use particle-transport simulations to show that secondary pions play a crucial role for the development of the hadronic cascade and therefore for the production of neutrons and photons from thick spallation targets. In particular, for the n_TOF lead spallation target, irradiated with 20 GeV/c protons, neutral pions are involved in the production of ∼ 90 % of the high-energy photons; charged pions participate in ∼ 40 % of the integral neutron yield. Nevertheless, photon and neutron yields are shown to be relatively insensitive to large changes of the average pion multiplicity in the individual spallation reactions. We characterize this robustness as a peculiar property of hadronic cascades in thick targets.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
