Linear reactor kinetics and neutron noise in systems with fluctuating boundaries

The general theory of linear reactor kinetics and that of the induced neutron noise is developed for systems with varying size, i.e. in which the position of the boundary fluctuates around a stationary value. The point kinetic and adiabatic approximations are defined by a generalisation of the flux factorisation, and the full solution of the general problem with an arbitrarily fluctuating boundary is given by the Green's function technique. The correctness of the general solution is proven both generally and also by considering the simple case of a 2-D cylindrical reactor with a fluctuating radius, in which case a direct compact solution is possible.