Generalized Nuclear Database Structure (GNDS) Formatted Files for the ENDF/B-VIII.1 Evaluated Nuclear Data Library

The ENDF-VIII.1 library is being released in both the legacy ENDF-6 format and as XML files conforming to the GNDS-2.0 standard (GNDS/XML-v2.0). The GNDS-2.0 format specification is available from the NEA.

Since the two formats should contain the same underlying data, nuclear data users will be able to test their codes for handling GNDS files by comparing results with similar tools that use ENDF-6 formatted data. Cross-validating results between the two libraries is expected to help discover errors and build confidence that GNDS codes are performing as expected.

The next ENDF library release is expected to contain some data that is supported by GNDS but not by ENDF-6, so users are encouraged to start developing and testing codes to handle GNDS files before the release of ENDF-IX.

Users of the thermal neutron scattering sub-library (TNSL) will note that GNDS files in that sub-library are marked as GNDS 2.1 instead of 2.0. The 2.1 update includes support for storing the isotopic abundances used when generating TNSL evaluations, similar to the recently approved MF=7 MT=451 general information section in ENDF-6.

Ongoing development of the GNDS standard is overseen by the NEA/OECD Expert Group on GNDS or EG-GNDS.

MD5:

e528edd74b7ecc66fefe020e5c4c7c43

SHA1:

e12380b6dcc779a64aab1b387929054b1ab2dbdc