Evaluation of Neutron-Induced Reaction Cross Sections of 232Th up to 20 MeV

Abstract

A reliable description of neutron-induced reactions on 232Th is crucial for radiation dosimetry, dose conversion, neutron activation and shielding in medical facilities, radiological safety and internal contamination assessment and broader nuclear-technology applications in medical physics. However, the available experimental database, especially for elastic scattering at low incident neutron energies, remains limited, making theoretical modeling indispensable. In this study, we evaluate key reaction cross sections for the n+232Th system from threshold up to 20 MeV. The calculations were carried out using two state-of-the-art nuclear reaction codes: TALYS-1.95 (GNU Fortran/Linux) and EMPIRE-3.2.3 (Windows). Both local and global optical-model potentials, including the widely used Koning–Delaroche parametrization, were employed to examine model sensitivity. Model predictions were benchmarked against experimental measurements retrieved from the EXFOR database, and further compared with evaluated datasets from major international libraries to assess consistency. Overall, the evaluated cross sections demonstrate strong agreement with available experimental trends and established evaluations. Notable deviations arise primarily in the fission channel, for which improved agreement was achieved through selective adjustment of model parameters. These results contribute refined cross-section estimates for 232Th in the low-to-intermediate neutron-energy range, supporting ongoing Nuclear-data development for Thorium-based systems.

Ban. J. Med. Phys., Vol -17, Issue -1, 2026 : 95-100