Estimate of (n,p) Cross Section for Radionuclide ⁵⁵Fe Using EMPIRE and TALYS

The radionuclide ⁵⁵Fe (t_1/2 = 2.73 years) is one of the radionuclides produced in large quantities inside a fusion reactor. The excitation function of the (n,p) reaction from threshold to 20 MeV and proton emission spectra from the ⁵⁵Fe target at 14-MeV neutron energy are calculated using optimized input parameters in the nuclear reaction modular codes EMPIRE-3.1 and TALYS-1.4. The codes account for the major nuclear reaction mechanisms, including direct, preequilibrium, and compound nucleus contributions. The present results of ⁵⁵Fe(n,p)⁵⁵Mn are compared with the existing evaluated nuclear data libraries ROSFOND-2010, JEFF-3.1, and EAF-2010 along with systematics around 14-MeV neutron energy. The prediction accuracy of the present calculation is considered to satisfy the requirement for fusion reactor applications. The theoretical nuclear model calculations with a reliable parameter set up to 20 MeV are recommended to estimate the cross section of radionuclides or unstable targets in the mass region A ∼ 50 to 60. The present work is an important step to study the cross section of the ⁵⁵Fe(n,p)⁵⁵Mn reaction by a surrogate method.