Emma Horton (Université de Lorraine)

Title: Stochastic Analysis of the Neutron Transport Equation

Abstract: The neutron transport equation (NTE) describes the net movement of neutrons through an inhomogeneous fissile medium, such as a nuclear reactor. One way to derive the NTE is via the stochastic analysis of a spatial branching process. This approach has been known since the 1960/70s, however, since then, very little innovation in the literature has emerged through probabilistic analysis. In recent years, however, the nuclear power and nuclear regulatory industries have a greater need for a deep understanding the spectral properties of the NTE.

In this talk I will formally describe the dynamics of the so-called neutron branching process (NBP), along with an associated Feynman Kac representation. I will then discuss how the latter can be used to analyse the long-term behaviour of the nuclear fission processes through both a Perron-Frobenius decomposition and a strong law of large numbers result.