This report reviews the evaluation of nuclear structure, decay data and related activities of the National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC) for the period August 1996 to October 1998. The name of the person with lead responsibility for each of the sections is underlined.

I. New Evaluations for ENSDF:

(M.R. Bhat, T.W. Burrows, J.K. Tuli)

Evaluations submitted for updating ENSDF:

Evaluations in Progress: 139,148, ¹⁴⁵Sm

Number of evaluations reviewed:

                                                  In 1996: 5 A-chains, 5 nuclides, and 2 high-spin data evaluations

1. The Evaluated Nuclear Structure data File (ENSDF):

(M.T. Blennau, P. Dixon, J.K. Tuli)

The ENSDF is continuously updated on the basis of new evaluations submitted; details of processing these are given in Section III.1. The current status of mass-chains for A > 44 is shown in Fig. 1. The ENSDF is distributed twice a year; generally in February and August. It is distributed in two forms, as a complete file as well as an update file in which only those data sets that have been modified since the last distribution are included. Users may also update their local databases easily by using the WWW ENSDF access. Superdeformed bands and high-spin evaluations submitted by network evaluators have also been added to the ENSDF and are available to users via the online system and WWW access. Following the discussion at the last NSDD meeting in Budapest, the NNDC cleaned up the entire ENSDF. All errors flagged by the FMTCHK program that could be corrected without the intervention of the evaluator were rectified. The evaluation of A=20 published by the TUNL group in Nuclear Physics A was added to the ENSDF.

Nuclear Wallet Cards and NuDat databases are also updated periodically to include additions to the ENSDF. NuDat is distributed along with ENSDF. NuDat was converted from DEC Datatrieve to an ISAM database and both PCNuDat and NuDat use the same database.

2. The Nuclear Science References (NSR):

(C.L. Dunford, J. Tallarine, D.F. Winchell)

Compilation of nuclear science articles has continued, with keywords being assigned when appropriate. All articles from Physical Review C, Nuclear Physics A, and The European Physical Journal A are assigned keynumbers and entered into the database. About 70 other journals are regularly scanned. Monthly and four-monthly distributions continue to be sent to various data centers. Secondary source entries prepared by groups at RIKEN Data Center, Japan and Gatchina, Russia have been received and merged into the database.

A new full-time staff member was hired by NNDC in August 1997 to maintain the NSR. During the last year, procedures for entering information have been streamlined, reducing the amount of time needed to get entries into the database. Part of this has been due to the increased use of web access to tables of contents and articles for journal scanning and file preparation.

In December 1997 the NSR keynumber scheme was changed to include the full year (i.e., 1997Ab01 rather than 97Ab01) in order to avoid potential year 2000 problems. The whole database was reformatted and loaded.

Web-based retrieval from NSR became available in 1997. Where possible, entries retrieved via the web contain links to online abstracts and text. Thus, it is possible to go seamlessly from the NSR abstract to the article abstract and the full text for the Physical Review C articles in the APS database. >From the keynumber of an ENSDF evaluation in the NSR, a user can also access the corresponding evaluation in the ENSDF.

By the end of 1998, NSR will begin using the recently assigned chemical symbols for elements 104-109. Keyword and selector fields for old entries will be retroactively updated with the symbols.

Development of a relational data-based version of NSR is underway. This is being used to explore the use of a different platform and new database and connectivity options. It is possible that a public version of this database will be available on the web by the end of the year.

Plans are underway to update the author keyword preparation package distributed by Physical Review C. User surveys concerning the scope and usability of NSR will be carried out in 1999.

III. Data Dissemination:

(T.W. Burrows, C.L. Dunford, R.R. Kinsey)

The data available from the NNDC are disseminated in hard copy and magnetic media and through online access via TELNET, the World Wide Web (WWW), and anonymous FTP.

1. Processing New Evaluations (Hard copy, TELNET, WWW):

New evaluations submitted to the NNDC are checked by the format and physics checking codes and errors are corrected. A hard copy of the evaluation is sent for review and for final checking by the editor. The final corrected evaluations are published as the Nuclear Data Sheets by Academic Press in eleven issues per year. The December issue is devoted to Recent References which are the yearly updates to the NSR. Academic Press is continuing to make available the contents of each NDS issue on the web as Adobe Portable Document (PDF) files. There are 20 new evaluations (15 A-chains + 5 nuclides) in the processing pipe-line at present.

2. Nuclear Wallet Cards (Hard copy, FTP, WWW):

The 1995 Edition of the Nuclear Wallet Cards was published with a literature cut-off date of June 30, 1995. The contents of the Wallet Cards have been available on the WWW and FTP sites since September 1, 1995 and are updated every six months coinciding with the ENSDF distribution. Out of the 10,000 hard copies printed, only about 200 are left and the NNDC is considering publishing a new edition of the Wallet Cards in 1999. Hard copy, HTML, PostScript, and PDF versions will be produced.

3. Online Data Services (FTP, TELNET, WWW):

The total number of retrievals in 1997 was 125,249 compared to 119,726 in 1996 and 87,868 in 1995 for an average yearly increase of 15%. NuDat is now the most popular with 28% of the total retrievals through September 1998 compared to 21% for NSR. The web is now the most popular method of accessing the NNDC systems with 57% of the retrievals through September 1998 compared to 50% and 31% in the same periods for 1997 and 1996.

Improvements and additions to the Online Services since the last NSDD meeting include the following:

a. FTP, TELNET, or WWW:

i. Documentation:

   Data Citation Guidelines added (PDF available for FTP and WWW). [FTP, TELNET, WWW]

   NNDC Online Data Service manual updated. [FTP, TELNET, WWW]

   The NSR Coding Manual was updated and a PDF version made available (FTP and WWW only). [FTP, TELNET, WWW]

ii. ENDF (Evaluated Nuclear Data File): Overlay plotting capability added. [TELNET, WWW]

iii. ENSDF: The IUPAC recommended chemical symbols for Z=104-109 were implemented. [TELNET, WWW]

iv. MIRD:
The 1996 atomic data of Schoenfeld and Janssen are now used to calculate Auger-electron and X-ray intensities and the 1995 Update to the Atomic Masses are now used.
The IUPAC recommended chemical symbols for Z=104-109 were implemented. [TELNET, WWW]
The PostScript output for MIRD was improved and options for HPGL and Tektronix eliminated. [TELNET, WWW]

v. NSR keynumbers were expanded to eight characters to solve the Y2K problem [TELNET, WWW]

vi. NuDat was converted from DEC Datatrieve to an ISAM database and both PCNuDat and NuDat use the same database. [FTP, TELNET, WWW]

vii. The Y2K problem of CSISRS/EXFOR was solved. [TELNET,WWW]

b. World Wide Web:

i. CINDA (Computer Index to Neutron Data) was added. Subsequent upgrades included links to the APS Link Manager for Physical Review journals from 1985 on and to CSISRS/EXFOR.

ii. ENDF was added.

iii. ENSDF was improved to allow retrievals by atomic and neutron number and by datasets. A simple ENSDF link manager, allowing a retrieval of a mass or nuclide through the web without using forms, was released and has been extensively used through the TUNL A=3-20 Isotope Explorer page, the Lund/Berkeley Q-value calculator page, and others.

iv. The web CSISRS/EXFOR developed at the IAEA Nuclear Data Section was added and upgraded to provide links to the APS Link Manager for Physical Review journals from 1985 on and to other CSISRS/EXFOR entries.

v. A preprint of Nicholas Stone's Table of New Nuclear Moments was made available in Microsoft, PostScript, and PDF formats.

vi. NSR was added. Subsequent upgrades included links to the APS Link Manager for Physical Review journals from 1985 on and to current evaluations contained in ENSDF. A simple NSR link manager, allowing the retrieval of an NSR entry or a redirection to the APS Link Manager was released.

vii. The Thermal Neutron Capture Gammas were updated in May 1997. A simple form to retrieve by energy range was later added.

viii. User outreach: The NNDC is the host for the US Nuclear Data Program homepage.

c. TELNET:

i. CSISRS was upgraded to allow overlay plotting of experimental and evaluated data and the entry of energy-cross section pairs to add to the plot.

ii. ENDF was upgraded to allow overlay plotting of experimental and evaluated data and the entry of energy-cross section pairs to add to the plot.

iii. ENSDF: PostScript plotting option was improved.

4. Current Activities:

a. Client/Server Registry System: The NNDC has been participating in a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant with Scientific Digital Visions (SDV), Inc. to develop client/server registry systems for the databases resident at the NNDC. Starting with the NSR and ENSDF databases, these systems will allow an application on the client computer to query a registry on the NNDC computer for database updates of specific interest to a user and download the pertinent information. A demonstration application in Java (NSR Evaluator Profiler) has been developed by SDV.

b. Cooperative Development: The NNDC has been collaborating with SDV and San Jose State University (SJSU) in developing interfaces between client applications and the databases resident at the NNDC. An example of this is MacNuclide 2.0x which allows queries of the NSR and NuDat databases.

c. ENSDF:

i. Investigation of serving high-quality tables and plots of ENSDF data over the web for those users who do not have access to the Isotope Explorer.

ii. Development of an experimental (unevaluated) nuclear structure data base starting with high-spin data. [TELNET, WWW]

d. NSR is being used as a test bed to study relational databases, Standard Query Language (SQL), and Active Server Pages (ASP).

5. Future Plans:

a.One small database (X-RAY) and the two utility modules QCALC and PHYSCO still remain to be ported to the web from the TELNET Online Data Service.

b. Upgrade, where necessary, current web interfaces to provide the full capabilities of their TELNET counterparts.

c. For MIRD, add an HTML/GIF output option [WWW] and develop methods to retrieve the data by decay chain (e.g., ²³²Th and all its daughters). [TELNET, WWW]

d. Solve the Y2K problem for the remaining databases (CINDA, ENSDF). [TELNET, WWW]

e. Update the Nuclear Wallet Cards and the Thermal Neutron Capture Gammas. For the Thermal Capture Gammas, add tables of absolute intensities ordered by target. [WWW]

IV. User Services & Network Support:

(T.W. Burrows, M.T. Blennau, V. McLane, J. Tallarine)

 The ENSDF analysis and checking codes continue to be maintained and improved; recent improvements made in them and their current status is given in a separate report accompanying this contribution.

The NNDC provides many services to the international Nuclear Structure and Decay Data (NSDD) network evaluators and others on a routine basis. At present they are:

i. Monthly NSR updates are sent to those evaluation centers that still request them, for the A-chains assigned to them.

ii. Complete NSR and ENSDF retrievals are sent at the start of an evaluation to those who cannot access online the NSR or the ENSDF from the NNDC, the NEA Data Bank, Saclay, or the NDS, IAEA; others have to do their own retrievals.

iii. Copies of hard-to-get references are sent to evaluators (with help from the NDP for older references).

iv. ENSDF updates are sent twice a year.

v. NSR updates are sent once in every four months.

vi. The ENSDF physics processing codes are maintained; and corrections and updates are sent periodically.

vii. Special retrievals are made from the NSR and the ENSDF. Requests for for these specialized retrievals are satisfied on a case-by-case basis. Users are encouraged to take advantage of the full potential of the NNDC online system; only if their needs cannot be met by the system then their requests are processed in-house.

viii. ENSDF, NSR, NUDAT updates are sent to the IAEA Nuclear Data Section, the NEA Databank, the Obninsk Data Center, and Slavutych on a regular basis.

V. Publicity for Network Activities & User Outreach:
 

The following is a list of items done to publicize the network activities, and its products & services:

• Information on the products and services available from the NNDC and other members of the U.S. Nuclear Data Program (USNDP) is given on their WWW homepages with cross-links amongst them.

• Every issue of the NDS contains a brief description of the databases maintained at the NNDC and how to access them.

• The NNDC online system was installed at the nuclear data center at Obninsk, Russia. Mirror sites of the NNDC web pages for ENSDF, the Nuclear Wallet Cards, etc., were established at the Slavutych Data Center, Ukraine in 1997.

• The NNDC personnel gave the following talks to improve user awareness of the online data services:

• There were a number of exchange visits between members of the Network in order to share their special expertise, learn about the practices and procedures of host data centers and share information pertaining to all aspects of nuclear data activities. These visits relevant to nuclear structure data activities are listed in Table 1.