Photonuclear Benchmarks of C, Al, Cu, Ta, Pb, and U from the ENDF/B-VII Cross-Section Library ENDF7U Using MCNPX

In radiation transport simulations, photonuclear processes still represent a rather new feature and are not as well established as neutron, electron, or other photon interactions. This study provides a benchmark for the photoneutron yields in C, Al, Cu, Ta, Pb, and U targets using the most current photonuclear cross-section library ENDF7U and the transport code MCNPX, v. 2.7. The isotopic material descriptions of C and Cu could be improved as more isotopes are available with the new library. The results were compared to experimental data provided by Barber and George [Phys. Rev., 116, 1551 (1959)]. In general, a good agreement can be observed although there seems to be a systematic underestimation in the calculated neutron yields.