Calculation of fast neutron removal cross sections for different lunar soils

•Calculation of the mass removal cross-section for all compounds which are presented in lunar soils.•Calculation of the macroscopic effective removal cross-sections for 19 different lunar soils.•The dependence of the obtained values on chemical content was discussed.•Comparison between different lunar soils.

The interaction of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and solar energetic particles (SEPs) with the lunar surface produces secondary radiations as neutrons. The study of the production and attenuation of these neutrons in the lunar soil is very important to estimate the annual ambient dose equivalent on the lunar surface and for lunar nuclear spectroscopy. Also, understanding the attenuation of fast neutrons in lunar soils can help in measuring of the lunar neutron density profile and to measure the neutron flux on the lunar surface. In this paper, the attenuation of fast neutrons in different lunar soils is investigated. The macroscopic effective removal cross section (ΣR)(ΣR) of fast neutrons was theoretically calculated from the mass removal cross-section values (ΣR/ρ)(ΣR/ρ) for various elements in soils. The obtained values of (ΣR)(ΣR) were discussed according to the density. The results show that the attenuation of fast neutrons is more important in the landing sites of Apollo 12 and Luna 16 than the other landing sites of Apollo and Luna missions.