Benchmark of a multi-physics Monte Carlo simulation of an ion guide for neutron-induced fission products

Abstract

To enhance the production of medium-heavy, neutron-rich nuclei, and to facilitate measurements of independent yields of neutron-induced fission, a proton-to-neutron converter and a dedicated ion guide for neutron-induced fission have been developed for the IGISOL facility at the University of Jyväskylä. The ion guide holds the fissionable targets, and the fission products emerging from the targets are collected in helium gas and transported to the downstream experimental stations. A computer model, based on a combination of MCNPX for modeling the neutron production, the fission code GEF, and GEANT4 for the transport of the fission products, was developed. The model will be used to improve the setup with respect to the production and collection of fission products. In this paper we benchmark the model by comparing simulations to a measurement in which fission products were implanted in foils located at different positions in the ion guide. In addition, the products from neutron activation in the titanium foil and the uranium targets are studied. The result suggests that the neutron flux at the high-energy part of the neutron spectrum is overestimated by approximately 40%. However, the transportation of fission products in the uranium targets agrees with the experiment within 10%. Furthermore, the simulated transportation of fission products in the helium gas achieves almost perfect agreement with the measurement. Hence, we conclude that the model, after correction for the neutron flux, is well suited for optimization studies of future ion guide designs.