Nuclear Data Section
International Atomic Energy Agency
P.O.Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria

Memo CP-D/385

Date:
To:
From:

9 March 2004
Distribution
O. Schwerer

Subject:

EXFOR compilation scope and priorities

Reference:

Memo CP-C/336

Over recent months, there has been a proliferation of data compiled in EXFOR that areoutside the agreed scope of the NRDC-shared work programme, either by extending thedefinition of what are charged-particle data or by adding very exotic data types of low priority
for our major users. Not all boundaries of the compilation scope of the NRDC have beenclearly defined (not felt necessary), but in view of these recent "extensions" and the limited
manpower, we believe it is important to set our priorities more clearly. This question will beon the agenda of the NRDC meeting in October 2004. NDS observations and opinions are as
follows:• Not all data permitted by the format are automatically within the scope of NRDC
exchange (e.g., originally EXFOR was restricted to data below 20 MeV although theformat always permitted entering data of higher energy). The scope will always bedetermined by the needs of the user community and appropriate decisions by the NRDC tocompile particular data types.
• If a centre wished to compile such additional data (permitted by the format but not part of
the regular exchange agreement), they should do so using different centre identification
characters, and the other centres can then decide whether or not to include thesetransmissions in their local database. This practice is referred to in memo CP-C/336. As anexample, the EXFOR "O" series (by NEA/DB + CAJAD) was originally introduced as aseparate medium energy transmission series (in this case, all centres were interested,because the files contained largely "non-exotic" data; however, content and interest havechanged lately).
• We believe that examples of data types outside the main scope of EXFOR are (without
claiming completeness):♦ Data for incident particles other than neutrons, γs, "normal" charged particles (e.g.,pions, kaons, antiprotons, etc.) Codes for such particles were introduced for reactions
producing them as product particles (not projectiles)♦ High energy data (> 1GeV?)♦ Heavy ion data (A>12?)♦ Differential Kerma factors (note that even "integral" kerma factors are not compiled atpresent; the quantity exists in the dictionary, but occurs only in 1 entry of the EXFORV series of evaluated data)♦ Very exotic quantities even if the reaction as such is within the normal scope (e.g.,certain parameters for triple-differential polarization data)• It is stressed that for the addition of any new quantity types, except trivial generalisations,
explicit agreement of the core centres is required. This approach represents an implicit
mechanism to prevent part of the proliferation of exotic data. Also, any new data types
which need major changes of the format or compilation rules must be carefully consideredand should only be introduced with good justification.
• We think that the various data types could be categorized into the following four
categories:♦ Core data (high priority, compilation obligatory)♦ Voluntary (low priority, compilation voluntary, but can be part of regulartransmission; at present, neutron-capture γ spectra fall into this category)♦ Separate transmission (may be compiled but must be sent on separate transmissions
with different Centre Identification Character)♦ Outside scope, not to be compiled, because data do not fit to EXFOR format and/or
are far from the interests of our user communities.

• A starting point for defining the "core scope" would be the definition used for thecoverage completeness exercise for the year 1998 which was agreed upon at the last
NRDC meeting: projectiles up to α, energies up to 1 GeV. However, this should be
discussed further and agreed at the next NRDC meeting.
• In the meantime, we ask centres to bear these considerations in mind leading up to theNRDC meeting in October 2004, and ensure they are evaluating priority items. Further
debate should occur at this meeting to ensure we can agree all data types and theircategories as outlined above.

Distribution:
oblozinsky@bnl.gov
vml@bnl.gov
nordborg@nea.fr
kellett@nea.fr
manokhin@ippe.obninsk.ru
maev@ippe.obninsk.ru
may@obninsk.ru
Mmarina@ippe.obninsk.ru
feliks@polyn.kiae.su
chukreev@polyn.kiae.su
S.Dunaeva@iaea.org
taova@expd.vniief.ru
varlamov@depni.sinp.msu.ru
chiba@earth.sgu.ac.jp
kato@nucl.sci.hokudai.ac.jp
oba@nrdf.meme.hokudai.ac.jp
yxzhuang@iris.ciae.ac.cn

gezg@iris.ciae.ac.cn
hongwei@iris.ciae.ac.cn
cndc@mipsa.ciae.ac.cn
tarkanyi@atomki.hu
stakacs@atomki.hu
hasegawa@ndc.tokai.jaeri.go.jp
vlasov@kinr.kiev.ua
kaltchenko@kinr.kiev.ua
ogritzay@kinr.kiev.ua
jhchang@kaeri.re.kr
ohtsuka@nucl.sci.hokudai.ac.jp
m.wirtz@iaea.org
m.lammer@iaea.org
v.pronyaev@iaea.org
schwerer@iaeand.iaea.org
v.zerkin@iaea.org
exfor@nea.fr