The equivalent fundamental-mode source

In this work, we describe the concept of an equivalent fundamental-mode source, and we derive an expression for a factor, g*, that converts any arbitrary source distribution to its equivalent fundamental-mode source strength. We also present a new experimental method that can be employed to measure the equivalent fundamental-mode source strength in a multiplying assembly. We demonstrate the method on the zero-power, XIX-1 assembly at the Fast-Critical Assembly (FCA) Facility, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.