Manuel Kreutle

University of Hamburg

Abstract: The experimental configurations present during the 2019 International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV) demonstration at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK CEN in Mol are used for benchmarking Monte Carlo simulations conducted with Geant4, KENO, MCNP and openMC. Neutron multiplication factors, (a,n) emissions and neutron flux densities are calculated. Results are compared to contribute to the validation of Geant4 neutron physics in fissile material systems and for nuclear disarmament verification simulations.

Neutron multiplication factors obtained with Geant4 are in good agreement with other codes while small deviations between the (a,n) simulation codes are observed. Geant4's neutron flux densities lay within a margin of 10% with respect to the other codes. Modeling of thermal neutron scattering behavior leads to considerable differences between all of the codes but an absence of absorption resonance "footprints" in moderated neutron spectra is observed for Geant4 which calls for further evaluation.

Bio: Manuel Kreutle has studied physics in Heidelberg and Hamburg. He joined the field of nuclear disarmament verification in 2018 and is currently working as research assistant at the University of Hamburg, Germany. He has been participating in the 2019 IPDNV measurement campaign at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre in Mol and was part of the organizers team of the Franco-German NuDiVe exercise in 2019 as well as the NuDiVe 2022 exercise. Besides that, he has been working on Monte Carlo simulations with Geant4 in this context. He will be joining the Program on Science and Global Security at Princeton University as PhD student in fall 2022.