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William B. Wilson

Bio: William B. Wilson is an academic researcher from Los Alamos National Laboratory. The author has contributed to research in topics: Neutron & Delayed neutron. The author has an hindex of 15, co-authored 48 publications receiving 2815 citations.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The ENDF/B-VII.0 as discussed by the authors file contains data primarily for reactions with incident neutrons, protons, and photons on almost 400 isotopes, based on experimental data and theory predictions.

1,913 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe a new approach for commercial nuclear energy production without a long-term high-level waste stream and for transmutation of both fission product and higher actinide commercial nuclear waste using a thermal flux of accelerator-produced neutrons in the 1016 n/cm2s range.
Abstract: We describe a new approach for commercial nuclear energy production without a long-term high-level waste stream and for transmutation of both fission product and higher actinide commercial nuclear waste using a thermal flux of accelerator-produced neutrons in the 1016 n/cm2s range. Continuous neutron fluxes at this intensity, which is approximately 100 times larger than is typically available in a large scale thermal reactor, appear practical, owing to recent advances in proton linear accelerator technology and to the spallation target-moderator design presented here. This large flux of thermal neutrons makes possible a waste inventory in the transmutation system which is smaller by about a factor of 100 than competing concepts. The accelerator allows the system to operate well below criticality so that the possibility for a criticality accident is eliminated. No control rods are required. The successful implementation of this new method for energy generation and waste transmutation would eliminate the need for nuclear waste storage on a geologic time scale. The production of nuclear energy from 232Th or 238U is used to illustrate the general principles of commercial nuclear energy, production without long-term high-level waste. There appears to be sufficient thorium to meet the world's energy needs for many millenia.

532 citations

01 Jan 2002
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a computer code that determines neutron production rates and spectra from ({alpha,n) reactions, spontaneous fission, and delayed neutron emission due to radionuclide decay.
Abstract: SOURCES 4C is a computer code that determines neutron production rates and spectra from ({alpha},n) reactions, spontaneous fission, and delayed neutron emission due to radionuclide decay. The code is capable of calculating ({alpha},n) source rates and spectra in four types of problems: homogeneous media (i.e., an intimate mixture of a-emitting source material and low-Z target material), two-region interface problems (i.e., a slab of {alpha}-emitting source material in contact with a slab of low-Z target material), three-region interface problems (i.e., a thin slab of low-Z target material sandwiched between {alpha}-emitting source material and low-Z target material), and ({alpha},n) reactions induced by a monoenergetic beam of {alpha}-particles incident on a slab of target material. Spontaneous fission spectra are calculated with evaluated half-life, spontaneous fission branching, and Watt spectrum parameters for 44 actinides. The ({alpha},n) spectra are calculated using an assumed isotropic angular distribution in the center-of-mass system with a library of 107 nuclide decay {alpha}-particle spectra, 24 sets of measured and/or evaluated ({alpha},n) cross sections and product nuclide level branching fractions, and functional {alpha}-particle stopping cross sections for Z < 106. The delayed neutron spectra are taken from an evaluated library of 105 precursors. The code provides the magnitude and spectra, if desired, of the resultant neutron source in addition to an analysis of the'contributions by each nuclide in the problem. LASTCALL, a graphical user interface, is included in the code package.

88 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: SOURCES as mentioned in this paper is a computer code that determines neutron production rates and spectra from (alpha,n) reactions, spontaneous fission and delayed neutron emission owing to the decay of radionuclides in homogeneous media, interface problems and three-region interface problems.
Abstract: SOURCES is a computer code that determines neutron production rates and spectra from (alpha,n) reactions, spontaneous fission and delayed neutron emission owing to the decay of radionuclides in homogeneous media, interface problems and three-region interface problems. The code is also capable of calculating the neutron production rates due to (alpha,n) reactions induced by a monoenergetic beam of alpha particles incident on a slab of target material. The (alpha,n) spectra are calculated using an assumed isotropic angular distribution in the centre-of-mass system with a library of 107 nuclide decay alpha-particle spectra, 24 sets of measured and/or evaluated (alpha,n) cross sections and product nuclide level branching fractions, and functional alpha particle stopping cross sections for Z < 106. Spontaneous fission sources and spectra are calculated with evaluated half-life, spontaneous fission branching and Watt spectrum parameters for 44 actinides. The delayed neutron spectra are taken from an evaluated library of 105 precursors. The code outputs the magnitude and spectra of the resultant neutron sources. It also provides an analysis of the contributions to that source by each nuclide in the problem.

75 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Theoretical {beta}-delayed-neutron spectra are calculated based on the Quasiparticle Random-Phase Approximation (QRPA) and the Hauser-Feshbach statistical model.
Abstract: Theoretical {beta}-delayed-neutron spectra are calculated based on the Quasiparticle Random-Phase Approximation (QRPA) and the Hauser-Feshbach statistical model. Neutron emissions from an excited daughter nucleus after {beta} decay to the granddaughter residual are more accurately calculated than in previous evaluations, including all the microscopic nuclear structure information, such as a Gamow-Teller strength distribution and discrete states in the granddaughter. The calculated delayed-neutron spectra agree reasonably well with those evaluations in the ENDF decay library, which are based on experimental data. The model was adopted to generate the delayed-neutron spectra for all 271 precursors.

53 citations


Cited by
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The ENDF/B-VII.1 library as mentioned in this paper is the most widely used data set for nuclear data analysis and has been updated several times over the last five years. But the most recent version of the ENDF-B-VI.0 library is based on the JENDL-4.0 standard.

2,171 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The ENDF/B-VII.0 as discussed by the authors file contains data primarily for reactions with incident neutrons, protons, and photons on almost 400 isotopes, based on experimental data and theory predictions.

1,913 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The fourth version of the Japanese Evaluated Nuclear Data Library has been produced in cooperation with the Japanese Nuclear Data Committee as mentioned in this paper, and much emphasis is placed on the improvement of the original library.
Abstract: The fourth version of the Japanese Evaluated Nuclear Data Library has been produced in cooperation with the Japanese Nuclear Data Committee. In the new library, much emphasis is placed on the impro...

1,699 citations

01 Apr 2003
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors measured the flux of neutrino from distant nuclear reactors and found fewer nu;(e) events than expected from standard assumptions about nu; (e) propagation at the 99.95% C.L.yr exposure.
Abstract: KamLAND has measured the flux of nu;(e)'s from distant nuclear reactors. We find fewer nu;(e) events than expected from standard assumptions about nu;(e) propagation at the 99.95% C.L. In a 162 ton.yr exposure the ratio of the observed inverse beta-decay events to the expected number without nu;(e) disappearance is 0.611+/-0.085(stat)+/-0.041(syst) for nu;(e) energies >3.4 MeV. In the context of two-flavor neutrino oscillations with CPT invariance, all solutions to the solar neutrino problem except for the "large mixing angle" region are excluded.

1,659 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The new ENDF/B-VIII.0 evaluated nuclear reaction data library as mentioned in this paper includes improved thermal neutron scattering data and uses new evaluated data from the CIELO project for neutron reactions on 1 H, 16 O, 56 Fe, 235 U, 238 U and 239 Pu described in companion papers.

1,249 citations