Nuclear data requirements, challenges and need for new experimental measurements

Nuclear data comprises of experimental data of all physical observables of nuclear structure, decay data, fission, reactions of all nuclei over the nuclides chart. Major interest is of the nuclear reaction data with projectiles such as neutrons, protons, deuterons, α, γ, also heavy ion transfer reactions populating stable and unstable nuclei at high excitation energies. Nuclear database plays a vital role in power reactors, industrial and medical applications, waste transmutation, post irradiation radiation levels and decay heat from materials and spent fuel and estimation of ²³²U in thorium fuel cycle. Precision nuclear data is very critical for cutting edge technology applications such as the design and safe operation of Generation IV nuclear reactors, fusion technology, Accelerator-Driven Subcritical Systems (ADSs). Production of medical isotopes ⁹⁹Mo and ⁶⁴Cu in a mixed field of Bremsstrahlung γ and neutrons in a 15MV clinical electron linear accelerator was explored, neutron irradiations of Zn for therapeutic radionuclide ⁶⁷Cu and for ^99mTc using proton irradiation of ¹⁰⁰Mo at PLF, TIFR were carried out