Nuclear Science and Data Needs for Advanced Nuclear Systems

Nuclear data are of fundamental importance in studies of nuclear technology such as the design of fission power plants, fusion devices and accelerators. The large amounts of data required are stored in computer readable formats in data libraries and include the general purpose files used for neutronics calculations. The other class of libraries are special purpose ones containing decay data and cross sections for dosimetry and activation. This paper gives examples of available data and discusses some needs for various applications. The focus is on neutron-induced activation with examples of how the reactions of particular importance can be identified. All data should be accompanied by estimates of uncertainty. The climate of budget cuts worldwide means that the greatest nuclear data need is for resources to continue production of compiled and evaluated data essential for nuclear technology.