Data requirements for neutron activation: Part I: Cross sections

Existing neutron cross section libraries such as EAF-2003 contain a large number of reactions. Of these only a small proportion are significant in the production of the nuclides that dominate activation quantities such as activity or γ-dose rate at various decay times. These reactions were identified in a recent extensive set of calculations on all the elements and reported in the ‘Activation Handbook’. These 1340 reactions are considered here and the set of reactions with no differential or integral data are listed and prioritised. A set of 339 reactions with very limited possibility of measurement are given; these require further study by theoretical calculations. A set of 100 reactions with either discrepant or no data, that might be measurable are listed and are recommended to be the subject of future experimental work.