A new approach for nuclear reactor analysis based on complex network theory

In this work, complex network theory is applied for the first time in the field of nuclear reactor physics to present a new approach for the evaluation of the multiplication factor of a nuclear system. The approach describes the random walk of a neutron in a network representative of the nuclear system. The network is constituted by multiple layers, each one representing a type of reaction (scattering, fission and capture) and each layer is constituted by different nodes, each one representing a different spatial position in the nuclear system. The probability of a neutron to jump from a node to another is governed by the material cross sections. Good agreement is achieved between the predictions of the proposed method and of Monte Carlo simulation. The outcome of this work constitutes a starting point for further research on the application of complex network theory to the field of nuclear reactor physics, while, at the same time, the experience retrieved from the application of complex networks may give useful insight for the improvement of classical approaches to nuclear reactor analysis.