Nuclear data for fusion energy technologies: Requests, status and development needs

The current status of nuclear data evaluations for fusion technologies is reviewed. Well-qualified data are available for neutronics and activation calculations of fusion power reactors and the next-step device ITER, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. Major challenges for the further development of fusion nuclear data arise from the needs of the long-term fusion programme. In particular, co-variance data are required for uncertainty assessments of nuclear responses. Further, the nuclear data libraries need to be extended to higher energies above 20 MeV to enable neutronics and activation calculations of IFMIF, the International Fusion Material Irradiation Facility. A significant experimental effort is required in this field to provide a reliable and sound database for the evaluation of cross-section data in the higher energy range.