Propagation of systematic uncertainty due to data reduction in transmission measurement of iron

A technique of determinantal inequalities to estimate the bounds for statistical and systematic uncertainties in neutron cross section measurement have been developed. In the measurement of neutron cross section, correlation is manifested due to the process of measurement and due to many systematic components like geometrical factor, half life, back scattering etc. However propagation of experimental uncertainties through the reduction of cross section data is itself a complicated procedure and has been inviting attention in recent times. The concept of determinantal inequalities to a transmission measurement of iron cross section and demonstration of how in such data reduction procedures the systematic uncertainty dominates over the statistical and estimate their individual bounds have been applied in this paper. (author). 2 refs., 1 tab