Neutron diffusion in a randomly inhomogeneous multiplying medium with random phase approximation (Q2865474)

The authors consider the diffusion equation NEWLINE\[NEWLINE\frac{\partial n(r,t)}{\partial t}-D\nabla^2n(r,t)=[\nu\Sigma_f(r)-\Sigma_a(r)]n(r,t) \delta(r)\delta(t), NEWLINE\]NEWLINE NEWLINE\[NEWLINEt\geq 0,\;\;\;r=(x,y,z)\in \mathbb R^3, NEWLINE\]NEWLINE in an infinite multiplying medium with uniform scattering, characterized by diffusion coefficient \(D,\) and with space-dependent fission and absorption cross-section \(\Sigma_f(r)\) and \(\Sigma_a(r),\) respectively. They combine them as \(V(r)\equiv[\nu\Sigma_f(r)-\Sigma_a(r)]\), where \(\nu\) is the number of neutrons per fission and treat \(V(r)\) as a random process as a function of \(r\) with zero mean, and a specified variance. The authors place a single neutron at the origin and solve the diffusion equation satisfied by the neutron density \(n(r,t)\) for each realization of \(V(r)\). Then, the authors investigate the expected value \(n(r,t)\) in the Fourier space, \(<n(q,t)>\), by solving an approximate integral equation satisfied by \(<n(q,t)>\). Using this equation, the authors discuss in particular the asymptotic behavior of the mean neutron density for large values of time.