Study on empirical formulae for (n,f) reaction cross sections of thorium isotopes between 1 and 20 MeV

Abstract A new systematics was developed that predicted the (n,f) nuclear reaction cross sections for thorium isotopes in the mass number range 228 ≤ A ≤ 234. The TALYS-1.95 and EMPIRE-3.2.3 nuclear computer codes were used to do calculations that validated the results. Semi-empirical formulas are used for a variety of thorium isotopes that divide to the third fission level. The excitation functions of the 228 Th (n,f), 229 Th (n,f), 230 Th (n,f), 231 Th (n,f), 232 Th (n,f), 233 Th (n,f), and 234 Th (n,f) nuclear reactions have been calculated at incident neutron energy ranging between 1 and 20 MeV. In addition to evaluated nuclear data files, such as JENDL 3.3, TENDL-2021, ENDF (B-VII.1), JENDL-4, BROND-3.1, EAF-2010, and ROSFOND-2010, experimental data from the EXFOR library were compared with our calculation. Overall, there is good agreement between the new semi-empirical formula, computer codes, evaluated files and experimental data fission cross sections.