Average Cross Section Evaluation - Room for Improvement

Full text of publication follows: Techniques for evaluation of average nuclear cross sections are well established. Nevertheless there seems room for improvement. Heuristic expressions for average partial cross sections of the Hauser-Feshbach type with width fluctuation corrections could be replaced by the correct GOE triple integral. Transmission coefficients derived from macroscopic models (optical, single and double hump fission barrier, etc) lead to better descriptions of cross section behaviour over wide energy ranges. At higher energies (n,γn') reactions compete with radiative capture (Moldauer effect). In all cross section modeling one must distinguish properly between average S- and R-matrix parameters. The exact relationship between them is given, as well as the connection to Endf format rules. Fitting codes (e.g. FITACS) should be able to digest observed data directly, instead of only reduced data corrected already for self shielding and multiple scattering (e.g. with SESH). (author)