The response of a scintillation detector with a cylindrical 1.5-inch LaBr3:Ce crystal to incident neutrons has been measured in the energy range En = 2-12 MeV. Neutrons were produced by proton irradiation of a Li target at Ep = 5-14.6 MeV with pulsed proton beams. Using the time-of-flight information between target and detector, energy spectra of the LaBr3:Ce detector resulting from fast neutron interactions have been obtained at 4 different neutron energies. Neutron-induced gamma rays emitted by the LaBr3:Ce crystal were also measured in a nearby Ge detector at the lowest proton beam energy. In addition, we obtained data for neutron irradiation of a large-volume high-purity Ge detector and of a NE-213 liquid scintillator detector, both serving as monitor detectors in the experiment. Monte-Carlo type simulations for neutron interactions in the liquid scintillator, the Ge and LaBr3:Ce crystals have been performed and compared with measured data. Good agreement being obtained with the data, we present the results of simulations to predict the response of LaBr3:Ce detectors for a range of crystal sizes to neutron irradiation in the energy range En = 0.5-10 MeV
@article{arxiv.1512.00305,
title = {Fast-neutron induced background in LaBr3:Ce detectors},
author = {J. Kiener and V. Tatischeff and I. Deloncle and N. de Séréville and P. Laurent and C. Blondel and M. Chabot and R. Chipaux and A. Coc and S. Dubos and A. Gostojic and N. Goutev and C. Hamadache and F. Hammache and B. Horeau and O. Limousin and S. Ouichaoui and G. Prévot and R. Rodríguez-Gasén and M. S. Yavahchova},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1512.00305},
year = {2016}
}