URANOS v1.0 - the ultra rapid adaptable neutron-only simulation for environmental research

• Verfasst von: Köhli, Markus [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Schrön, Martin [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Zacharias, Steffen [VerfasserIn]
• Verfasst von: Schmidt, Ulrich [VerfasserIn]
• Titel: URANOS v1.0 - the ultra rapid adaptable neutron-only simulation for environmental research
• Verf.angabe: Markus Köhli, Martin Schrön, Steffen Zacharias, and Ulrich Schmidt
• E-Jahr: 2023
• Jahr: 23 January 2023
• Umfang: 29 S.
• Fussnoten: Gesehen am 31.03.2023
• Titel Quelle: Enthalten in: Geoscientific model development
• Ort Quelle: Katlenburg-Lindau : Copernicus, 2008
• Jahr Quelle: 2023
• Band/Heft Quelle: 16(2023), 2, Seite 449-477
• ISSN Quelle: 1991-9603
• DOI: doi:10.5194/gmd-16-449-2023
• Datenträger: Online-Ressource
• Sprache: eng
• Sach-SW: bonner sphere spectrometer
• Sach-SW: calibration
• Sach-SW: energy-spectrum
• Sach-SW: evaporation
• Sach-SW: fission
• Sach-SW: nuclear-data
• Sach-SW: particle
• Sach-SW: response functions
• Sach-SW: sensors
• Sach-SW: soil-moisture
• K10plus-PPN: 1840935863

Abstract

The understanding of neutron transport by Monte Carlo simulations led to major advancements towards precise interpretation of measurements. URANOS (Ultra Rapid Neutron-Only Simulation) is a free software package which has been developed in the last few years in cooperation with particle physics and environmental sciences, specifically for the purposes of cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS). Its versatile user interface and input/output scheme tailored for CRNS applications offers hydrologists straightforward access to model individual scenarios and to directly perform advanced neutron transport calculations. The geometry can be modeled layer-wise, whereas in each layer a voxel geometry is extruded using a two-dimensional map from pixel images representing predefined materials and allowing for the construction of objects on the basis of pixel graphics without a three-dimensional editor. It furthermore features predefined cosmic-ray neutron spectra and detector configurations and also allows for a replication of important site characteristics of study areas - from a small pond to the catchment scale. The simulation thereby gives precise answers to questions like from which location do neutrons originate? How do they propagate to the sensor? What is the neutron's response to certain environmental changes? In recent years, URANOS has been successfully employed by a number of studies, for example, to calculate the cosmic-ray neutron footprint, signals in complex geometries like mobile applications on roads, urban environments and snow patterns.