Simulations of a LINAC-based photoneutron source

MCNPX simulation studies have been performed to model and optimize the photoneutron target design and support the mini-MIPS experiments being conducted at ANL. Three target geometries and two materials (DU and Ta) were simulated with MCNPX at 35 MeV electron energy to optimize photoneutron production. The results indicated that at 20 kW beam power, the total energy integrated neutron fluxes of 8×1011 n/cm2 s is achievable, which makes a number of photoneutron-based applications feasible including mini-MIPS.