Nuclear Data Section
International Atomic Energy Agency
P.O.Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria
Memo CP-D/714
Date:
To:
From:

26 September
Distribution
N. Otsuka, S.P. Simakov, V. Semkova, V. Zerkin

Subject:

Interdependent data separated by flags

Two data sets of the same REACTION (= reaction + quantity) obtained in the same
experimental work are often compiled in the same entry (e.g., same quantity derived
by different detectors, different analyses, different runs). There may be systematicdeviation between them, and EXFOR users should be able to treat them as two
independent data sets. Usually EXFOR systems can treat them as two independentsets if they are given in one subentry with the multiple reaction formalism. However,the systems do not expect the use of flags for such a purpose (the flag can be omitted
even if the data set has a column with the heading FLAG).
Example 70Zn(p,n)70Ga cross section by two derivation methods
SUBENT
BIB
REACTION...
FLAGENDBIB
…
DATA
EN
KEV
4903.
4927.
4952.
4976.
5000.
5031.
5052.

A0841003
20100225
4
5(30-ZN-70(P,N)31-GA-70,,SIG) fig.2(1.) this data are deduced from thick target yield.
(2.) these data are measured for thin target.
54
DATA
MB
139.
168.
175.
122.
161.
200.
204.

59
DATA-ERR
MB
17.
12.
17.
18.
17.
18.
17.

FLAG
NO-DIM
2.
2.
1.
2.
2.
2.
2.

…
Usually systems treat this data table as one data set. For example the NDS EXFOR
System creates Plot #1, where we recognize two data point groups at some energy
regions.

Plot #1

If we introduce the pointer formalism, the NDS EXFOR System can treat them as two
different data sets and creates Plot #2.
SUBENT
BIB
REACTION

…
DATA
EN
KEV
4903.
4927.
4952.
4976.
5000.
5031.
5052.

A0841003
20100225
4
5
1(30-ZN-70(P,N)31-GA-70,,SIG,,,DERIV)
Data deduced from thick target yield2(30-ZN-70(P,N)31-GA-70,,SIG)
Data measured for thin target

DATA
MB

175.

459
1DATA-ERR 1DATA
MB
MB
139.
168.
17.
122.
161.
200.
204.

2DATA-ERR
MB
17.
12.

2

18.
17.
18.
17.

...
Note that cross section obtained from the thick target yield is not regarded as the crosssections obtained by most straightforward method, and therefore we have to add
DERIV in SF9, too.
Conclusion: Compilers should avoid FLAG and use pointers when the data points in
one subentry can be divided into several data sets to reflect the different measuring
procedure (e.g. flight path), accelerators, neutron sources or detectors, processing ofdata, repetition of measurements etc.

Plot #2

Distribution:
blokhin@ippe.ru
cgc@ciae.ac.cn
chiba@earth.sgu.ac.jp
emmeric.dupont@oecd.org
fukahori.tokio@jaea.go.jp
ganesan@barc.gov.in
gezg@ciae.ac.cn
hongwei@ciae.ac.cn
jhchang@kaeri.re.kr
j.roberts@iaea.org
kaltchenko@kinr.kiev.ua
katakura.junichi@jaea.go.jp
kato@nucl.sci.hokudai.ac.jp
kiralyb@atomki.hu
l.vrapcenjak@iaea.org
kiyoshi.matsumoto@oecd.org
manuel.bossant@oecd.org
manokhin@ippe.ru
mmarina@ippe.ru
mwherman@bnl.gov
nicolas.soppera@oecd.org
nklimova@kinr.kiev.ua
n.otsuka@iaea.org

nrdc@jcprg.org
oblozinsky@bnl.gov
ogritzay@kinr.kiev.ua
otto.schwerer@aon.at
pronyaev@ippe.ru
r.forrest@iaea.org
samaev@obninsk.ru
s.babykina@polyn.kiae.su
scyang@kaeri.re.kr
s.simakov@iaea.org
stakacs@atomki.hu
stanislav.hlavac@savba.sk
sv.dunaeva@gmail.com
taova@expd.vniief.ru
tarkanyi@atomki.hu
vvvarlamov@gmail.com
vlasov@kinr.kiev.ua
vmclane@optonline.net
v.semkova@iaea.org
v.zerkin@iaea.org
yolee@kaeri.re.kr
zhuangyx@ciae.ac.cn