Experimental studies of THGEM in different Ar/CO2 mixtures

In this paper, the performance of a type of domestic THGEM （THick Gaseous Electron Multiplier） working in Ar/CO2 mixtures is reported in detail. This kind of single THGEM can provide a gain range from 100 to 1000, which is very suitable for application in neutron detection. In order to study its basic characteristics as a reference for the development of a THGEM based neutron detector, the counting rate plateau, the energy resolution and the gain of the THGEM have been measured in different Ar/CO2 mixtures with a variety of electrical fields. For the Ar/CO2（90%/10%） gas mixture, a wide counting rate plateau is achieved from 720 V to 770 V, with a plateau slope of 2.4%/100 V, and an excellent energy resolution of about 22% is obtained at the 5.9 keV full energy peak of the 55Fe X-ray source.     

Experimental studies of THGEM in different Ar/CO_2 mixtures

In this paper, the performance of a type of domestic THGEM (THick Gaseous Electron Multiplier) working in Ar/CO₂ mixtures is reported in detail. This kind of single THGEM can provide a gain range from 100 to 1000, which is very suitable for application in neutron detection. In order to study its basic characteristics as a reference for the development of a THGEM based neutron detector, the counting rate plateau, the energy resolution and the gain of the THGEM have been measured in different Ar/CO₂ mixtures with a variety of electrical fields. For the Ar/CO₂(90%/10%) gas mixture, a wide counting rate plateau is achieved from 720 V to 770 V, with a plateau slope of 2.4%/100 V, and an excellent energy resolution of about 22% is obtained at the 5.9 keV full energy peak of the ⁵⁵Fe X-ray source.     

Experimental research on a THGEM-based thermal neutron detector

A new thermal neutron detector with a domestically produced THGEM (Thick Gas Electron Multiplier) was developed as an alternative to ³He to meet the needs of the next generation of neutron facilities. One type of Au-coated THGEM was designed specifically for neutron detection. A detector prototype has been developed and the preliminary experimental tests are presented, including the performance of the Au-coated THGEM working in Ar/CO₂ gas mixtures and the neutron imaging test with ²⁵²Cf source, which can provide the reference for experimental data for research in the future.     

RETGEM探测器的初步测试

研制了一种新型的带有阻抗性电极的TGEM——RETGEM(Thick GEM with Resistive Electrodes)探测器, 阻抗性电极可以有效地保护探测器和前端电子学免于偶尔放电的损伤。 对RETGEM探测器进行了初步测试, 其中包括计数率、能量分辨、增益以及打火率。 结果表明, 探测器达到了设计的基本要求。 In this study we present preliminary results from a new detector: a thick gaseous electron multiplier(GEM) with resistive electrodes. The resistive electrodes protect the detector and the front end electronics from damage by occasional discharges. In different gas mixtures, we test Thick GEM with Resistive Electrodes(RETGEM) detector for the first time, including counting rate, energy resolution, effective gain, and discharge probability. The results can satisfy the basic demand of RETGEM detector design.     

Study on the imaging ability of the 2D neutron detector based on MWPC

A 2D neutron detector based on 3 He convertor and MWPC with an active area of 200 mm×200 mm has been successfully designed and fabricated.The detector has been tested with Am/Be neutron source and with collimated neutron beam with the wavelength of =1.37.The best spatial resolution of 1.18 mm(FWHM) and good linearity were obtained.This is in good agreement with theoretical calculations.     

位敏型探测器数字法读出研究(英文)

中国散裂中子源( CSNS ) 的建造对中子探测器提出了非常高的要求,如更大的有效面积、二维位置灵敏、高计数率、高探测效率和低的 灵敏度等。与传统的模拟读出方法相比,数字法读出具有更高的计数率, 更小的数据传输量,更简单的电子学设计以及更高的信噪比。对数字法读出进行了理论计算,利用GEM探测器的原始数据分析了数字法读出的位置分辨率与读出条宽度的关系。结果表明,数字法读出对于位置分辨要求较低( 小于4 mm) 的大面积位置灵敏探测器是一种较好的选择,如CSNS 小角谱仪探测器。Efficient thermal neutron detectors with large area, two-dimensional position sensitive, high counting rate high detection efficiency and low gamma sensitivity are required to satisfy the demands for the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS). Compared with the traditional analog readout method, the digital readout method has the advantages of higher counting rate, smaller quantity of data transmission, simpler readout system and higher signal to noise ratio. The theoretical analysis of the digital readout method is reported in this paper. Used the raw data of GEM detector, the relationship between the position resolution and the width of the readout strip was studied. The results indicate that the digital readout method could be a good choice for the large area position sensitive detector where the requirement of position resolution is less than 4 mm, e.g. the detector of Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) diffractometer of CSNS.     

Study on the novel neutron-to-proton convertor for improving the detection efficiency of a triple GEM based fast neutron detector

A high-efficiency fast neutron detector prototype based on a triple Gas Electron Multiplier(GEM) detector, which, coupled with a novel multi-layered high-density polyethylene(HDPE) as a neutron-to-proton converter for improving the neutron detection efficiency, is introduced and tested with the Am-Be neutron source in the Institute of Modern Physics(IMP) at Lanzhou in the present work. First, the developed triple GEM detector is tested by measuring its effective gain and energy resolution with55 Fe X-ray source to ensure that it has a good performance.The effective gain and obtained energy resolution is 5.0×104and around 19.2%, respectively. Secondly, the novel multi-layered HDPE converter is coupled with the cathode of the triple GEM detector making it a high-efficiency fast neutron detector. Its effective neutron response is four times higher than that of the traditional single-layered conversion technique when the converter layer number is 38.     

基于10B4C转换体的多层多丝正比室中子探测器模拟

随着国内高通量中子源及中子散射谱仪的快速发展,对高探测效率、高位置分辨、低伽玛灵敏度的位置灵敏型热中子探测器需求日益迫切。目前国际上中子散射谱仪大多数采用了基于3He的热中子探测器,由于当前3He价格昂贵,寻求3He替代型热中子探测器的相关研究任务紧迫。提出了一种基于10B₄C转换体的多层多丝正比室新型二维位置灵敏型热中子探测器,并利用蒙特卡罗模拟软件Geant4和Garfield++对其探测效率、位置分辨、n/γ抑制比等性能展开了详细的模拟研究。结果表明,当多丝正比室单元为40层,阈值为200 keV时,热中子（E=0.025 eV）探测效率可达到~54%,位置分辨为2.6 mm （FWHM）,n/γ抑制比为~107,可以满足大多数中子散射谱仪的需求,为此类探测器设计及实验研究提供了理论依据。As the development of high flux neutron sources and neutron scattering spectrometers in China, more and more neutron detectors with high detection efficiency, high position resolution, high time resolution and low gamma sensitivity are need ungently. 3He based neutron detector is one of the best options. Recently, because of the 3He gas shortage and its expensive price, we must find a new replacement of 3He. A two-dimensional position sensitive neutron detector based on multi-layer Multi Wires Proportional Chambers (mMWPC) with 10B₄C converter was proposed in this paper. The neutron detection efficiency, position resolution and γ compression were simulated with Geant4 and Garfield++. The results show that with 40 layers of neutron convertor, high themal neutron (E=0.025 eV) detection of~54%, best position resolution of 2.6 mm (FWHM) and high n/γ rejection ratio of~107 with the threshold of 200 keV can be achieved, which can meet the requirements of most spectrometers. This simulation results lay a good foundation for the next step of detector construction and test.     

Conditioning the γ spectrometer for activity measurement at very high background

The application of a high purity Germanium(HPGe) γ spectrometer in determining the fuel element burnup in a future reactor is studied.The HPGe detector is exposed by a 60Co source with varying irradiation rate from 10×103s-1 to 150×103s-1 to simulate the input counting rate in real reactor environment.A137 Cs and a152 Eu source are positioned at given distances to generate a certain event rate in the detector with the former being proposed as a labeling nuclide to measure the burnup of a fuel element.It is shown that both the energy resolution slightly increasing with the irradiation rate and the passthrough rate at high irradiation level match the requirement of the real application.The influence of the background is studied in the different parameter sets used in the specially developed procedure of background subtraction.It is demonstrated that with the typical input irradiation rate and 137Cs intensity relevant to a deep burnup situation,the precision of the 137Cs counting rate in the current experiment is consistently below 2.8%,indicating a promising feasibility of utilizing an HPGe detector in the burnup measurement in future bed-like reactors.     

新型M-THGEM结构探测器的蒙特卡罗模拟研究

新型多层厚型气体电子倍增器（Multi-layers THick Gas Electron Multiplier,M-THGEM）和传统THGEM （厚型气体电子倍增器）相比,具有连续的雪崩区,能够在低气压和低电压下都有较高增益,结构更紧凑,易于大面积制作等优势。对M-THGEM探测器的工作原理及性能进行了模拟研究,首先通过有限元（ANSYS）软件对二层与三层结构的M-THGEM进行了建模,对电场和电势分布分别进行了模拟计算;再利用Garfield++程序包对M-THGEM探测器在不同低气压和不同工作电压下的增益、感生信号、正离子反馈率等性能进行了研究。模拟结果表明,三层结构M-THGEM在低气压（200 Torr）、纯He气体条件下,能够获得较稳定的增益（105）,输出信号的宽度在12 ns左右;同时,为降低正离子反馈率,本工作提出并研究了一种非对称的电压施加方式,结果表明,这种施加方式能有效降低正离子的反馈率。Compared to THGEM (Thick Gas Electron Multiplier), the novel Multilayer Thick Gaseous Electron Multiplier (M-THGEM) has many advantages, such as continuous avalanche zone, more compact structure, high gain at low pressure and low operating voltage, and easy to make large-area production. In the presented work, two types of the M-THGEM detector (two or three layers) were modeled, and their main principle and performances were also studied by simulation. Two types of the detector were molded and simulated by using the finite element software (ANSYS), and the electric field distribution and nodes information lists were figured out. The effective gain and induced signal from M-THGEM detector at different gas pressures and operating voltages were studied with the Garfield++ package. The simulation results shown that M-THGEM can obtain a stable higher gain around 105 in an environment where has a low pressure even in 200 Torr and within a pure inertia gas such as He. At this condition, the width of the induced signal from the three-layers structure is around 120 ns. Additionally, an asymmetric way of the applied voltage was studied and aim to reduce the efficiency of ion feedback, and our results show that this method is effective.     

用于中国散裂中子源多功能反射谱仪的高气压多丝正比室探测器的研制

中国散裂中子源需要建设一台多功能反射谱仪中子探测器,满足在10年运行期间内,50%(@2A)以上的探测效率、好于2 mm的二维位置分辨、200 mm×200 mm的灵敏面积、3倍的n/γ分辨能力及良好的二维成像性能.基于此要求,探测器因此采用基于高气压~3He气体的多丝正比室,并以满足反射谱仪的探测效率、位置分辨、长期稳定工作和n/y分辨能力为目标进行探测器的设计.本文经过模拟和实验计算得出:以9 mm厚的铝合金入射窗、铝丝密封的高气压腔体和6 bar~3He+2.5 bar C_3H_8的工作气体的设计,可满足探测器对2 A中子10年运行期间内54%以上的探测效率要求;探测器对中子的位置分辨可达到1.4 mm左右;设计的气体净化系统,拥有2 L/min的气流速度可有效去除探测器内的负电性杂质气体,气体循环净化后可提高探测器约27%的气体增益,保证探测器长期稳定的运行;通过对~(252)Cf中子源的能谱测量和成像测量,得出探测器的n/γ分辨能力在5倍以上和均匀的成像结果.研制的探测器满足反射谱仪需求,并已在中国散裂中子源反射谱仪靶站就位联调.     

高增益型气体电子倍增微网结构探测器的性能研究

随着微结构气体探测器的不断发展, 不同的探测需求相继提出.为了实现气体探测器在高增益和低打火率的条件下长时间稳定工作, 结合气体电子倍增器(GEM)与微网结构气体探测器(MicroMegas)的探测优势, 成功研制出一种基于GEM作为预放大的MicroMegas探测器, 详细介绍了探测器结构和工作原理, 并利用⁵⁵Fe放射源对探测器增益、打火率、能量分辨和工作稳定性等性能进行了实验测量. 分析结果显示GEM-MicroMegas探测器可以连续工作30 h 以上, 探测器增益可以超过10⁶, 相对于无GEM膜的MicroMegas探测器, 相同增益下打火率可以降低近100倍. 关键词： 微网结构气体探测器 能量分辨率 增益 打火率     

一种可用于极化~3He实验的新型磁场系统

原子核自旋极化的~3He气体已被深入研究并广泛用于各种科学实验.在过去的极化~3He实验中,为了减小磁场梯度对纵向弛豫时间的影响,通常会建造大尺寸的亥姆霍兹线圈来提供所需均匀度的主磁场环境.本文通过计算得到了新的六正方形线圈系统,可以为极化~3He实验提供小型高均匀性的磁场装置.其中线圈系√统内部超过30%的区域磁场梯度满足(|▽B_x|~2+|▽B_y|~2)/B_0 10~(-4)cm~(-1),这一均匀区域比例超过了现在所有用于极化~3He实验的线圈装置.对于其他需要大均匀区域磁场环境的研究实验,新的六线圈系统也具有很好的应用价值.     

Study of a nTHGEM-based thermal neutron detector

With new generation neutron sources, traditional neutron detectors cannot satisfy the demands of the applications, especially under high flux. Furthermore, facing the global crisis in ~3He gas supply, research on new types of neutron detector as an alternative to ~3He is a research hotspot in the field of particle detection. GEM(Gaseous Electron Multiplier) neutron detectors have high counting rate, good spatial and time resolution, and could be one future direction of the development of neutron detectors. In this paper, the physical process of neutron detection is simulated with Geant 4 code, studying the relations between thermal conversion efficiency, boron thickness and number of boron layers. Due to the special characteristics of neutron detection, we have developed a novel type of special ceramic n THGEM(neutron THick GEM) for neutron detection. The performance of the n THGEM working in different Ar/CO_2 mixtures is presented, including measurements of the gain and the count rate plateau using a copper target X-ray source. A detector with a single n THGEM has been tested for 2-D imaging using a ~(252)Cf neutron source. The key parameters of the performance of the n THGEM detector have been obtained, providing necessary experimental data as a reference for further research on this detector.     

光泵抽运3He极化程度监控系统的设计与实现

极化³He的一项重要应用是中子的极化.中国绵阳研究堆（CMRR）已建立国内首个自旋交换光学泵浦（SEOP）极化³He中子极化系统.为了监测³He的极化率随时间的相对变化情况，本文首先设计了基于核磁共振（NMR）技术的³He相对极化率测量系统，通过Matlab控制程序实现了对³He相对极化率的定时检测.然后对拾波线圈的构形和信噪比（SNR）进行了优化.结果表明当绕线长度一样时，Brooks构形的线圈有利于提高SNR；当线圈的平均半径为（a₀+d）/√2（a₀为³He气室的半径，d为拾波线圈与气室之间的距离）时，其SNR最高.最后对该系统的本底噪声进行了测量，发现其主要来源于环境噪声（0.27 μV/√Hz）和数据采集（DAQ）卡的噪声（0.40 μV/√Hz），系统的总噪声功率谱密度约为√0.16+0.073G² μV/√Hz（G为放大器的增益倍数）.     

~(252)Cf自发裂变中子发射率符合测量的回归分析

~(252)Cf同位素源具有标准的自发裂变中子能谱,但由于其半衰期较短,应用中常需要对源强进行标定修正.随着源年龄增加,来自源中~(250)Cf和~(248)Cm自发裂变的影响愈加凸显,不能简单按~(252)Cf的衰变规律计算源中子发射率,而通过锰浴活化的间接测量方法周期较长,且在源强低于10~4 n/s时误差较大.最近,基于中子多重性计数的源强绝对测量算法已得到验证.本文进一步从点模型假设的测量方程出发,在将符合计数率与总中子计数率关联的基础上,分别对符合计数率随源位置、符合门宽的变化关系进行回归分析,提取变化过程的特征系数,建立了两种避规效率变化的~(252)Cf中子发射率测量方法,并基于JCC-51型中子符合测量装置开展实验验证.结果表明:两种回归分析方法的测量值均与标称值的修正结果在2%的偏差范围内一致;反推求得装置中轴线上的探测效率也与基于MCNPX程序的蒙特卡罗模拟计算值相符.研究结果可为活度信息不明的~(252)Cf源强标定及符合测量装置的效率刻度提供便携准确的实验方法.     

THE MICROSCOPIC MECHANISM OF THE(P,π+)REACTION

All the effects including bound neutron wavefunction, short range correlation and proton distortion on the angular distribution of ³He(P,π⁺)⁴He have been studied. A rather good result has been achieved.     

A microscopic three-cluster model in the hyperspherical formalism

The hyperspherical formalism is applied in the framework of the microscopic generator-coordinate method. Three-cluster systems are described with a single generator coordinate, the hyperradius. This model is a natural extension of previous microscopic theories, and can be applied to bound states and resonances in a range of nuclei exhibiting a cluster structure. As an illustrative example, the model is applied to ⁶He and ⁶Li. Density distributions and electric dipole transition strengths are calculated, including B(E2;0⁺→2⁺) in ⁶He. The results are consistent with a neutron halo structure for the ground state of ⁶He, and with a proton–neutron halo structure of its isobaric analog state in ⁶Li. No 1⁻ “soft dipole” resonance is found in ⁶He.     

散裂中子源高气压二维位置灵敏3He探测器的实验研究

为满足中国散裂中子源多功能反射谱仪中子探测器的基本物理要求:有效面积达到200 mm×200 mm、探测效率大于50%（2Å）、位置分辨好于2 mm等,中国科学院高能物理研究所研制了3He高气压二维多丝正比室位置灵敏中子探测器。该探测器采用二维多丝室结构,腔体内充3He/C₃H₈（6 atm/2.5 atm）的组合气体。本文首先利用Am/Be中子源完成对探测器全面积均匀性测试,均匀性指标达到了95.1%;探测器在中国散裂中子源的20号束流线站安装后,对其进行了在束测量,通过飞行时间选取波长2.8Å的慢中子,测量了探测器二维位置分辨和二维成像性能。在X方向（垂直于阳极丝的方向）的位置分辨为0.99 mm,Y方向（平行于阳极丝的方向）的位置分辨为1.36 mm,探测器具有很好的二维位置分辨和二维成像能力。测量结果表明探测器满足反射谱仪的研制要求。