Electromagnetic Nucleus - Nucleus Cross Sections using Energy Dependent Branching Ratios

It is important that accurate estimates of crew exposure to radiation are obtained for future long - term space missions. To predict the radiation environment, a few space radiation transport codes exist, all of which use basic nuclear cross section information for transport of radiation through mat...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Adamczyk, Anne Marie
Other Authors: Padmanabhan K. Aravind, Advisor
Format: Others
Published: Digital WPI 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/etd-dissertations/136
https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1135&context=etd-dissertations
Description
Summary:It is important that accurate estimates of crew exposure to radiation are obtained for future long - term space missions. To predict the radiation environment, a few space radiation transport codes exist, all of which use basic nuclear cross section information for transport of radiation through materials. Little theoretical and experimental work has been conducted on reactions induced by the electromagnetic (EM) force, especially with regard to di?erential cross sections. Therefore, radiation transport codes have typically neglected to incorporate EM nuclear collision cross sections. EM cross sections for single nucleon removal have been included in some radiation codes, but better values can be obtained by using an energy dependent branching ratio. Most previous theoretical and experimental work has been devoted to total cross sections. Therefore, the energy dependent branching ratios presented can be extensively compared to past theory and experiment. Such comparisons indicate that using energy dependent branching ratios yield better estimates of total cross sections. Differential cross sections for electromagnetic dissociation in nuclear collisions are calculated for the first time. In order to be useful for three - dimensional transport codes, these cross sections have been calculated in both the projectile and lab frames. The formulas for these cross sections are such that they can be immediately used in space radiation transport codes. Only a limited amount of data exists, but the comparison between theory and experiment is good.