Benchmark Experiment system for 252Cf spontaneous fission source using γ tagging

This study developed a neutron leakage spectrum measurement system using a spherical sample based on the 252Cf spontaneous fission source. The spherical polyethylene sample was used as the standard to verify the accuracy of the system for the benchmark experiment. The simulation results were obtained using the Monte Carlo method with evaluated data from the ENDF/B-VIII.0, CENDL-3.2, JEFF-3.3, and JENDL-5 libraries. The measured neutron leakage spectra were compared with the corresponding simulated results for the neutron spectrum shape and calculated C/E values. The results showed that the simulated spectra with different data libraries reproduced the experimental results well in the 0.15–8.0 MeV range. This study confirms that the leakage neutron spectrum measurement system based on the 252Cf source can perform benchmarking and provides a foundation for evaluating neutron nuclear data through benchmark experiments.