A Background-Free Direction-Sensitive Neutron Detector2 A Background-Free Direction-Sensitive Neutron Detector
Abstract
We show data from a new type of detector that can be used to determine neutron flux, energy distribution, and direction of neutron motion for both fast and thermal neutrons. Many neutron detectors are plagued by large backgrounds from x-rays and gamma rays, and most current neutron detectors lack single-event energy sensitivity or any information on neutron directionality. Even the best detectors are limited by cosmic ray neutron backgrounds. All applications (neutron scattering and radiography, measurements of solar and cosmic ray neutron flux, measurements of neutron interaction cross sections, monitoring of neutrons at nuclear facilities, oil exploration, and searches for fissile weapons of mass destruction) will benefit from the improved neutron detection sensitivity and improved measurements of neutron properties made possible by this detector. The detector is free of backgrounds from x-rays, gamma rays, beta particles, relativistic singely charged particles and cosmic ray neutrons. It is sensitive to thermal neutrons, fission neutrons, and high energy neutrons, with detection features distinctive for each energy range. It is capable of determining the location of a source of fission neutrons based on characteristics of elastic scattering of neutrons by helium nuclei. The detector we have constructed could identify one gram of reactor grade plutonium, one meter away, with less than one minute of observation time.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.0906.3910,
title = {A Background-Free Direction-Sensitive Neutron Detector2 A Background-Free Direction-Sensitive Neutron Detector},
author = {Alvaro Roccaro and H. Tomita and S. Ahlen and D. Avery and A. Inglis and J. Battat and D. Dujmic and P. Fisher and S. Henderson and A. Kaboth and G. Kohse and R. Lanza and J. Monroe and G. Sciolla and N. Skvorodnev and H. Wellenstein and R. Yamamoto},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0906.3910},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
17 pages, 8 figures, Accepted by NIM