A capture-gated fast neutron detection method

To address the problem of the shortage of neutron detectors used in radiation portal monitors(RPMs),caused by the ~3He supply crisis, research on a cadmium-based capture-gated fast neutron detector is presented in this paper. The detector is composed of many 1 cm × 1 cm × 20 cm plastic scintillator cuboids covered by 0.1 mm thick film of cadmium. The detector uses cadmium to absorb thermal neutrons and produce capture γ-rays to indicate the detection of neutrons, and uses plastic scintillator to moderate neutrons and register γ-rays. This design removes the volume competing relationship in traditional ~3He counter-based fast neutron detectors, which hinders enhancement of the neutron detection efficiency. Detection efficiency of 21.66% ± 1.22% has been achieved with a 40.4 cm × 40.4cm × 20 cm overall detector volume. This detector can measure both neutrons and γ-rays simultaneously. A small detector(20.2 cm × 20.2 cm × 20 cm) demonstrated a 3.3 % false alarm rate for a ~(252)Cf source with a neutron yield of 1841 n/s from 50 cm away within 15 s measurement time. It also demonstrated a very low(0.06%) false alarm rate for a 3.21 × 10~5 Bq ~(137)Cs source. This detector offers a potential single-detector replacement for both neutron and the γ-ray detectors in RPM systems.     

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.     

一种新型的液闪阵列成像屏空间分辨特性

针对低强度射线成像,自主研制了一种像元为0.1 mm高探测效率的液闪阵列屏.为此,基于倾斜刀口边缘响应的测量原理,建立了理论模拟方法和实验研究方法,对该液闪阵列屏开展了空间分辨性能研究.通过理论模拟,给出了液闪阵列屏在14 MeV中子和1.25 MeV伽马射线激发下的调制传递函数,并与像元为0.1,0.3和0.5 mm的闪烁纤维阵列屏进行了理论对比.在60Co伽马射线源上,对液闪阵列屏和像元为0.3和0.5 mm的两种国产闪烁纤维阵列屏进行了调制传递函数实测研究.理论模拟和实验结果一致,均表明液闪阵列的空间特性优于闪烁纤维阵列屏,而且具有更好的均匀性,对1.25 MeV伽马,空间分辨接近0.9 lp/mm,而其他两种纤维阵列屏仅达到0.5 lp/mm,对于14 MeV中子,液闪阵列屏的空间分辨可达到1.8 lp/mm.     

ST-401薄塑料闪烁体中子能量响应测量技术研究

利用中国原子能科学研究院核工业放射性计量测试中心的5SDH-2串列加速器进行了ST-401薄塑料闪烁体的能量响应实验.选用T(p,n)³He反应和D(d,n)³He反应作为中子源，子源，中子束流采用复合屏蔽体进行准直，源强采用正比计数管和半导体望远镜进行监测，实验测量了厚度从0.16mm到2.00mm的八种规格薄闪烁体的能量响应曲线，对实验的结果的不确定度进行了分析.结果表明探测器的灵敏度随着晶体厚度的增加而增加，对于一定厚度的薄闪烁体，随着中子能量的增加，探测器的能量响应曲线坡度不大. 关键词： 塑料闪烁体 能量响应 正比计数器 半导体反冲质子望远镜     

厚闪烁体内次级中子对快中子图像质量的影响研究

利用编制的快中子照相数值模拟程序(FNRSC)模拟计算了入射中子能量为14 MeV时,厚度5—300 mm闪烁体内次级中子对快中子图像质量的影响,结果表明闪烁体厚度d<50mm时,次级中子对图像的影响强烈依赖于闪烁体厚度,而当d>50 mm时,次级中子对图像的影响趋于饱和.将文献中利用蒙特卡罗中子-光子输运程序(MCNP)计算的次级中子对图像影响和文中计算结果进行了对比,给出了二者存在差异的主要原因：次级中子分布对入射中子空间分布的强烈依赖性;能量沉积和荧光输出这两种计算方法对 关键词： 14 MeV中子 快中子照相 次级中子 Monte Carlo模拟     

An apparatus of the NBC type and the physics results obtained

A nonbubble chamber (NBC) setup, especially designed to perform a series of experiments, is described. The setup consists of a neutron missing-mass spectrometer coupled with a system of large electromagnetic shower detectors. In spite of its large dimensions (the sensitive surface and volume are 2.16 × 10⁴ cm² and 7.8 × 10⁵ cm³, respectively), the neutron spectrometer has a time resolution of ±0.70 nsec FWHM, with ∼25% detection efficiency in the range (70–390 MeV) neutron kinetic energy. The time equalization between the various components of the neutron spectrometer has been established to within ±0.1 nsec. At present this is the most powerful and the most accurate high-energy neutron detector. The electromagnetic shower detector is based on the principle of simultaneous measurements of the spatial development of the electromagnetic cascade and of its energy release. This is obtained with nine elements of lead foil — spark chamber — plastic scintillator, all sandwiched together. The sensitive surface and volume of the electromagnetic shower detector are 1.45 × 10⁴ cm² and 7.2 × 10⁵ cm³, respectively.     

Determinations of niobium and palladium resonance cross-sections by time-of-flight transmission experiment

The neutron total cross-sections and resonance parameters of Niobium (Nb) and Palladium (Pd) were measured in the neutron energy regions from 0.1 eV to 100 eV by using the time-of-flight method at the Pohang Neutron Facility, Korea, which consists of an electron linear accelerator, a water-cooled Tantalum (Ta) target with a water moderator, and a 12.06 m long time-of-flight path. A ⁶Li-ZnS(Ag) scintillator with a diameter of 12.5 cm and a thickness of 1.6 cm was used as a neutron detector, and high purity natural Nb and Pd metallic sheets with thickness of 15 mm (0.0833 atoms/barn) and 1 mm (0.0068 atoms/barn) respectively, were used for the neutron transmission measurements. The notch filters composed of Cobalt (Co), Indium (In), and Cadmium (Cd) were used to estimate the background level and also to calibrate energy. In order to reduce the gamma-ray background from Bremsstrahlung and from neutron capture, we employed a neutron-gamma separation system based on their different pulse shapes. The resonance parameters of ^natNb and ^natPd were obtained from the transmission ratio by using the SAMMY code, which utilizes both Doppler and resolution broadening effects and Bayes’ generalized least squares technique. The present measurements were compared with the existing experimental and the evaluated reactions data files.     

Low-background EN-detector for the investigation of the neutron component of EASs

Thermal neutrons are detected using a scintillator compound based on ZnS(Ag) with B₂O₃ added to it. The pulse height generated by single charged particles in a scintillator of small thickness (50 mg/cm²) is not larger than that of a noise signal due to a low sensitivity to single charged particles. As a result, the detector satisfies the requirements of a low-background one in the context of cosmic-ray experiments. The detector is to be used for neutron detection in extensive air showers.     

The TRIUMF-ISAC gamma-ray escape suppressed specrometer, TIGRESS

The TRIUMF-ISAC Gamma-Ray Escape Suppressed Spectrometer is a high energy-resolution, high efficiency γ-ray detector array for radioactive beam experiments. It consists of high-purity germanium detectors with scintillator suppressors and waveform digitization. TIGRESS can operate in modes optimized for either maximum efficiency or for high peak-to-total, and can switch between these modes within a day. The digitized waveforms provide 6 mm FWHM position resolution for incident ¹³⁷Cs γ rays. The array hosts a suite of auxilliary detectors for charged particles and neutrons.     

用于GPPD谱仪的大面积闪烁体中子探测器性能测试

中国散裂中子源（Chinese Spallation Neutron Source,CSNS）的建成为中子散射技术的发展和应用奠定了基础。通用粉末衍射谱仪（general purpose powder diffractometer,GPPD）是CSNS一期建设的三条谱仪之一。研制了用于GPPD的大面积闪烁体探测器阵列,在CSNS的BL20中子束线上开展了探测器关键性能参数的实验测试。测试结果显示,对波长为1.4 Å和2.8 Å的中子,其探测效率分别为（38.5±1.7）%和（56.1±1.1）%,模拟与实验相结合,给出对2 Å的中子,其探测效率约为（46.1±2.0）%,有效面积内的探测效率不均匀度约为19.6%,经优化后可以降低到14.9%;探测器位置分辨可以达到4.0 mm×4.0 mm,最高计数率约79 kHz。探测器单元的整体性能指标能满足GPPD的物理需求。     

Total cross sections for the 6Li(n, α)3H reaction between 12 and 18 MeV

The ⁶Li(n, α)³H cross section has been precisely measured between 12.0 and 18.2 MeV. The reactions are observed in a ⁶LiI(Eu) scintillator which serves simultaneously both as a target and a detector of the charged particle reaction products. A careful evaluation is made of the sources of experimental error including the attenuation of the neutron beam, self-shielding of the scintillator, peak area analysis and multiple scattering effects.     

快中子照相中的点扩展函数计算

快中子照相中,基于反冲核原理探测快中子的有机闪烁体平板是普遍采用的快中子辐射转换体。模拟了D-T中子垂直入射BC400闪烁体平板,计算了不同厚度平板闪烁体的点扩展函数,对14.1 MeV快中子照相中闪烁体固有分辨率随厚度的变化进行了研究。计算结果表明,在不考虑二次中子与闪烁体作用及背景噪声等情况时,点扩展函数几乎不依赖于闪烁体厚度。同时,计算还表明在一定的分辨率范围内,由于荧光收集效率的限制,闪烁体厚度增加并不会改善图像对比度。     

快中子照相中的点扩展函数计算

 快中子照相中,基于反冲核原理探测快中子的有机闪烁体平板是普遍采用的快中子辐射转换体。模拟了D-T中子垂直入射BC400闪烁体平板,计算了不同厚度平板闪烁体的点扩展函数,对14.1 MeV快中子照相中闪烁体固有分辨率随厚度的变化进行了研究。计算结果表明,在不考虑二次中子与闪烁体作用及背景噪声等情况时,点扩展函数几乎不依赖于闪烁体厚度。同时,计算还表明在一定的分辨率范围内,由于荧光收集效率的限制,闪烁体厚度增加并不会改善图像对比度。     

Two-dimensional thermal neutron detector

A two-dimensional thermal neutron detector for neutron diffraction experiments has been developed and designed at the St. Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences. The detector is based on a multiwire proportional chamber with cathode-strip delay line readout. The detector aperture is 170 × 300 mm² and the anode wire spacing is 4 mm. The chamber is filled with a 1.5 atm ³He + 2 atm CF₄ gas mixture. To conserve high purity of the gas mixture, all electrodes are made of quartz glass. The spatial resolution of the detector is 2.5 mm and the detection efficiency is 60% for 9 Å neutrons.     

A study of the50Cr(d,n)51Mn and54Fe(d,n)55Co reactions

The⁵⁰Cr(d, n)⁵¹Mn and⁵⁴Fe(d, n)⁵⁵Co reactions have been studied at an incident deuteron energy of 5.5 MeV. Angular distributions of neutron groups to a number of low-lying levels in the residual nuclei have been recorded. Time-of-flight techniques have been used to record neutron spectra. A liquid scintillator with pulse-shape discrimination property has been used as neutron detector. DWBA calculations have been performed and relative spectroscopic strengths determined for transitions with variousl _p values. The ratios between spectroscopic strengths forl _p =3 andl _p =1 transitions were found to be considerably larger than corresponding ratios obtained from the (³He,d) reactions. Two-step stripping processes competing with the direct stripping process are suggested as explanation of the discrepancy between the (d, n) and the (³He,d) results.     

A telescope detection system for direct and high resolution spectrometry of intense neutron fields

A high energy- and spatial-resolution telescope detector was designed and constructed for neutron spectrometry of intense neutron fields. The detector is constituted by a plastic scintillator coupled to a monolithic silicon telescope (MST), in turn consisting of a ΔE and an E stage. The scintillator behaves as an “active” recoil-proton converter, since it measures the deposited energy of the recoil-protons generated across. The MST measures the residual energy of recoil-protons downstream of the converter and also discriminates recoil-protons from photons associated to the neutron field. The lay-out of the scintillator/MST system was optimized through an analytical model for selecting the angular range of the scattered protons. The use of unfolding techniques for reconstructing the neutron energy distribution was thus avoided with reasonable uncertainty (about 1.6% in neutron energy) and efficiency (of the order of 10⁻⁶ counts per unit neutron fluence). A semi-empirical procedure was also developed for correcting the non-linearity in light emission from the organic scintillator. The spectrometer was characterized with quasi-monoenergetic and continuous fields of neutrons generated at the CN Van De Graaff accelerator of the INFN-Legnaro National Laboratory, Italy, showing satisfactory agreement with literature data.     

Development of a segmented fast neutron spectrometer

We discuss the development of a spectrometer based on full energy absorption using liquid scintillator doped with enriched ⁶Li. Of specific interest, the spectrometer is expected to have good pulse height resolution, estimated to lie in the range 10–15% for 14-MeV neutrons. It should be sensitive to flux rates from 10⁻⁶ cm⁻² s⁻¹ to 10⁶ cm⁻² s⁻¹ above a threshold of 500 keV in an uncorrelated γ background of up to 10⁴ s⁻¹. We have constructed a pilot version of the detector using undoped liquid scintillator, and we report its present status. The detector’s efficiency is determined by the volume of the scintillator (∼1.21) and is estimated to be 0.2–0.5% for 3-MeV neutrons. The good pulse height resolution is achieved by compensation of the nonlinear light yield of the scintillator due to the use of optically separated segments, which collect scintillations from each recoil proton separately. We demonstrate here the response of the detector to neutrons from a Pu-α-Be source, whose energies range up to 10 MeV. Initial testing indicates a low threshold (≈600 keV) and good spectral response after requiring a multiplicity of three segments. Such a spectrometer has applications for low-background experiments in fundamental physics research, characterizations of neutron flux in space, and the health physics community. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Die Reaktion54Xe(n, α)52Te mit Neutronen der Energie 12,5 bis 18,0 MeV

The reaction₅₄Xe(n, α)₅₂Te was investigated in the neutron energy range 12.5 to 18.0 MeV. A high pressure gas scintillator filled either with pure xenon of natural isotopic abundance or with a mixture of xenon and helium was used as a target and as a detector simultaneously. The helium served as a monitor, (n, α)-spectra were measured and analyzed by evaporation theory. Large components of direct processes were found. The level density parameter of⁵²Te was determined as (17.0±1.7) MeV^?1. The cross section excitation function is given as well as the branching ratios for evaporation and direct processes as a function of neutron energy.     

Neutron flux measurement using activated radioactive isotopes at the Baksan underground scintillation telescope

Preliminary results of a neutron background measurement at the Baksan underground scintillation telescope (BUST) are presented. The external planes of the BUST are fully covered with standard scintillation detectors shielding the internal planes and suppressing thus background events due to cosmogenic and local radioactivity. The shielded internal planes were used as target for the neutron flux registration. The experimental method is based on the delayed coincidences between signals from any of the BUST counters. It is assumed that the first signal is due to inelastic interaction of a neutron with the organic scintillator, while the second signal comes from the decay of an unstable radioactive isotope formed when the fast neutron interacts with the ¹²C nuclei. Using the Monte-Carlo method (GEANT4) we also simulated propagation of neutrons through a layer of scintillator. The experimentally found muon induced neutron flux is j =1.3_-0.3^+0.7 ×10^-10cm^-2s^-1 for neutron energies E ≥ 22MeV, which is in a qualitative agreement with similar measurements of other underground laboratories as well as with predictions of the GEANT4.     

超快中子探测器闪烁体性能计算

超快中子探测器是ICF聚变反应速率测量系统的核心部件。利用蒙特卡罗粒子输运工具包Geant4模拟了一种超快中子探测器——BC-422型闪烁探测器的中子探测过程,计算出了几种厚度的BC-422型闪烁体的探测效率、输出光信号强度和时间分辨力;对比了闪烁体的2种不同反射表面对输出光信号强度和时间分辨力的影响。计算的结果显示:设计适当的BC-422型闪烁探测器能够测量的最低中子产额在108量级,对DT中子的信号时间分辨力好于20 ps,对DD中子的信号时间分辨力达到30 ps,能够用于大型激光装置及其原型的聚变反应速率测量。