Comparison of the FLUKA, MCNPX, and PHITS codes in yield calculation of secondary particles produced by intermediate energy proton beam

The accurate estimation of secondary particle production from thick targets by intermediate energy proton or heavy ion is very important factor to determine source term in radiation shielding design. Three well-proved Monte Carlo codes of the FLUKA, MCNPX, and PHITS were reviewed and benchmarking calculations for proton-induced neutrons and photons have been carried out. Neutron yields from Be, C, Al, and Fe target for 113 and 256 MeV protons were calculated and compared with Meier's experimental data. From those comparisons, the property of above Monte Carlo codes could be observed for application of shielding design. The proton energies of 100, 150, 200 and 230 MeV were reviewed for thick Al, Fe, Cu, and Pb targets to develop the source term. Dependence properties of neutron and photon production yields were found for target materials and target thickness. In this paper, a part of comparison results are presented and the discrepancies and agreements between each code are discussed for various target materials and proton energies. (author)