| 1. |
- Addazi, A., et al.
(författare)
-
New high-sensitivity searches for neutrons converting into antineutrons and/or sterile neutrons at the HIBEAM/NNBAR experiment at the European Spallation Source
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Journal of Physics G. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 0954-3899 .- 1361-6471. ; 48:7
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The violation of baryon number, , is an essential ingredient for the preferential creation of matter over antimatter needed to account for the observed baryon asymmetry in the Universe. However, such a process has yet to be experimentally observed. The HIBEAM/NNBAR program is a proposed two-stage experiment at the European Spallation Source to search for baryon number violation. The program will include high-sensitivity searches for processes that violate baryon number by one or two units: free neutron–antineutron oscillation () via mixing, neutron–antineutron oscillation via regeneration from a sterile neutron state (), and neutron disappearance (n → n'); the effective process of neutron regeneration () is also possible. The program can be used to discover and characterize mixing in the neutron, antineutron and sterile neutron sectors. The experiment addresses topical open questions such as the origins of baryogenesis and the nature of dark matter, and is sensitive to scales of new physics substantially in excess of those available at colliders. A goal of the program is to open a discovery window to neutron conversion probabilities (sensitivities) by up to three orders of magnitude compared with previous searches. The opportunity to make such a leap in sensitivity tests should not be squandered. The experiment pulls together a diverse international team of physicists from the particle (collider and low energy) and nuclear physics communities, while also including specialists in neutronics and magnetics.
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| 2. |
- Papaevangelou, T., et al.
(författare)
-
ESS nBLM : Beam loss monitors based on fast neutron detection
- 2018
-
Ingår i: HB2018 - Proceedings of the 61st ICFA Advanced Beam Dynamics Workshop on High-Intensity and High-Brightness Hadron Beams. - 9783954502028 ; , s. 404-409
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- A new type of Beam Loss Monitor (BLM) system is being developed for use in the European Spallation Source (ESS) linac, primarily aiming to cover the low energy part (proton energies between 3-100 MeV). In this region of the linac, typical BLM detectors based on charged particle detection (i.e. Ionization Chambers) are not appropriate because the expected particle fields will be dominated by neutrons and photons. Another issue is the photon background due to the RF cavities, which is mainly due to field emission from the electrons from the cavity walls, resulting in bremsstrahlung photons. The idea for the ESS neutron sensitive BLM system (ESS nBLM) is to use Micromegas detectors specially designed to be sensitive to fast neutrons and insensitive to low energy photons (X and gammas). In addition, the detectors must be insensitive to thermal neutrons, because those neutrons may not be directly correlated to beam losses. The appropriate configuration of the Micromegas operating conditions will allow excellent timing, intrinsic photon background suppression and individual neutron counting, extending thus the dynamic range to very low particle fluxes.
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| 3. |
- Birch, J., et al.
(författare)
-
Multi-Grid boron-10 detector for time-of-flight spectrometers in neutron scattering science
- 2015
-
Ingår i: 2015 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference, NSS/MIC 2015. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 9781467398626
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Multi-Grid (MG) detector has been introduced at ILL and developed by a collaboration between ILL, ESS and Linkoping University. This detector design addresses the severely decreased availability of He3, in particular for neutron scattering instruments with large-area detectors, such as time-of-flight neutron spectrometers at ESS and other facilities. The MG detector is based on thin converter films of boron-10 carbide arranged in layers orthogonal to the incoming neutrons. The design of the detector provides position resolution, efficiency competitive with He3 and a strong gamma rejection capability. This paper presents the MG large-area (2.4m2) demonstrator and the progress made in order to meet the needs of production of B4C-coated layers, mechanical parts and assembly on a scale similar to that of the final detectors for ESS. A particular effort was made to produce aluminium detector parts with a low alpha background, successfully reducing the background rate to acceptable levels. Following the IN5 demonstrator, a compact prototype has been designed in order to finalise the electronic readout to be used at the ESS instruments equipped with the MG.
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| 4. |
- Stefanescu, I., et al.
(författare)
-
Neutron detectors for the ESS diffractometers
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 12:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ambitious instrument suite for the future European Spallation Source whose civil construction started recently in Lund, Sweden, demands a set of diverse and challenging requirements for the neutron detectors. For instance, the unprecedented high flux expected on the samples to be investigated in neutron diffraction or reflectometry experiments requires detectors that can handle high counting rates, while the investigation of sub-millimeter protein crystals will only be possible with large-area detectors that can achieve a position resolution as low as 200 μm. This has motivated an extensive research and development campaign to advance the state-of-the-art detector and to find new technologies that can reach maturity by the time the ESS will operate at full potential. This paper presents the key detector requirements for three of the Time-of-Flight (TOF) diffraction instrument concepts selected by the Scientific Advisory Committee to advance into the phase of preliminary engineering design. We discuss the detector technologies commonly employed at the existing similar instruments and their major challenges for ESS. The detector technologies selected by the instrument teams to collect the diffraction patterns are also presented. Analytical calculations, Monte-Carlo simulations, and real experimental data are used to develop a generic method to estimate the event rate in the diffraction detectors. We apply this method to make predictions for the future diffraction instruments, and thus provide additional information that can help the instrument teams with the optimisation of the detector designs.
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| 5. |
- Baussan, E., et al.
(författare)
-
A very intense neutrino super beam experiment for leptonic CP violation discovery based on the European spallation source linac
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Nuclear Physics B. - : Elsevier BV. - 0550-3213 .- 1873-1562. ; 885, s. 127-149
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Very intense neutrino beams and large neutrino detectors will be needed in order to enable the discovery of CP violation in the leptonic sector. We propose to use the proton linac of the European Spoliation Source currently under construction in Lund, Sweden, to deliver, in parallel with the spoliation neutron production, a very intense, cost effective and high performance neutrino beam. The baseline program for the European Spoliation Source linac is that it will be fully operational at 5 MW average power by 2022, producing 2 GeV 2.86 ms long proton pulses at a rate of 14 Hz. Our proposal is to upgrade the linac to 10 MW average power and 28 Hz, producing 14 pulses/s for neutron production and 14 pulses/s for neutrino production. Furthermore, because of the high current required in the pulsed neutrino horn, the length of the pulses used for neutrino production needs to be compressed to a few mu s with the aid of an accumulator ring. A long baseline experiment using this Super Beam and a megaton underground Water Cherenkov detector located in existing mines 300-600 km from Lund will make it possible to discover leptonic CP violation at 5 sigma significance level in up to 50% of the leptonic Dirac CP-violating phase range. This experiment could also determine the neutrino mass hierarchy at a significance level of more than 3 sigma if this issue will not already have been settled by other experiments by then. The mass hierarchy performance could be increased by combining the neutrino beam results with those obtained from atmospheric neutrinos detected by the same large volume detector. This detector will also be used to measure the proton lifetime, detect cosmological neutrinos and neutrinos from supernova explosions. Results on the sensitivity to leptonic CP violation and the neutrino mass hierarchy are presented.
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| 6. |
- Birch, J, et al.
(författare)
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Investigation of background in large-area neutron detectors due to alpha emission from impurities in aluminium
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Journal of Instrumentation. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 1748-0221. ; 10
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Thermal neutron detector based on films of (B4C)-B-10 have been developed as an alternative to He-3 detectors. In particular, The Multi-Grid detector concept is considered for future large area detectors for ESS and ILL instruments. An excellent signal-to-background ratio is essential to attain expected scientific results. Aluminium is the most natural material for the mechanical structure of of the Multi-Grid detector and other similar concepts due to its mechanical and neutronic properties. Due to natural concentration of alpha emitters, however, the background from alpha particles misidentified as neutrons can be unacceptably high. We present our experience operating a detector prototype affected by this issue. Monte Carlo simulations have been used to confirm the background as alpha particles. The issues have been addressed in the more recent implementations of the Multi-Grid detector by the use of purified aluminium as well as Ni-plating of standard aluminium. The result is the reduction in background by two orders of magnitude. A new large-area prototype has been built incorporating these modifications.
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| 7. |
- Khaplanov, Anton, et al.
(författare)
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Investigation of gamma-ray sensitivity of neutron detectors based on thin converter films
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 8
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Currently, many detector technologies for thermal neutron detection are in development in order to lower the demand for the rare He-3 gas. Gas detectors with solid thin film neutron converters readout by gas proportional counter method have been proposed as an appropriate choice for applications where large area coverage is necessary. In this paper, we investigate the probability for gamma-rays to generate a false count in a neutron measurement. Simulated results are compared to measurement with B-10 thin film prototypes and a He-3 detector. It is demonstrated that equal gamma-ray rejection to that of He-3 tubes is achieved with the new technology. The arguments and results presented here are also applicable to gas detectors with converters other than solid B-10 layers, such as Li-6 layers and (BF3)-B-10 gas.
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| 8. |
- Scherzinger, J., et al.
(författare)
-
The light-yield response of a NE-213 liquid-scintillator detector measured using 2–6 MeV tagged neutrons
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-9002 .- 1872-9576. ; 840, s. 121-127
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The response of a NE-213 liquid-scintillator detector has been measured using tagged neutrons from 2 to 6 MeV originating from an Am/Be neutron source. The neutron energies were determined using the time-of-flight technique. Pulse-shape discrimination was employed to discern between gamma-rays and neutrons. The behavior of both the fast (35 ns) and the combined fast and slow (475 ns) components of the neutron scintillation-light pulses were studied. Three different prescriptions were used to relate the neutron maximum energy-transfer edges to the corresponding recoil-proton scintillation-light yields, and the results were compared to simulations. The overall normalizations of parametrizations which predict the fast or total light yield of the scintillation pulses were also tested. Our results agree with both existing data and existing parametrizations. We observe a clear sensitivity to the portion and length of the neutron scintillation-light pulse considered.
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| 9. |
- Anastasopoulos, M., et al.
(författare)
-
Multi-Grid detector for neutron spectroscopy : Results obtained on time-of-flight spectrometer CNCS
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Journal of Instrumentation. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 1748-0221. ; 12:4
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Multi-Grid detector technology has evolved from the proof-of-principle and characterisation stages. Here we report on the performance of the Multi-Grid detector, the MG.CNCS prototype, which has been installed and tested at the Cold Neutron Chopper Spectrometer, CNCS at SNS. This has allowed a side-by-side comparison to the performance of 3He detectors on an operational instrument. The demonstrator has an active area of 0.2 m2. It is specifically tailored to the specifications of CNCS. The detector was installed in June 2016 and has operated since then, collecting neutron scattering data in parallel to the He-3 detectors of CNCS. In this paper, we present a comprehensive analysis of this data, in particular on instrument energy resolution, rate capability, background and relative efficiency. Stability, gamma-ray and fast neutron sensitivity have also been investigated. The effect of scattering in the detector components has been measured and provides input to comparison for Monte Carlo simulations. All data is presented in comparison to that measured by the 3He detectors simultaneously, showing that all features recorded by one detector are also recorded by the other. The energy resolution matches closely. We find that the Multi-Grid is able to match the data collected by 3He, and see an indication of a considerable advantage in the count rate capability. Based on these results, we are confident that the Multi-Grid detector will be capable of producing high quality scientific data on chopper spectrometers utilising the unprecedented neutron flux of the ESS.
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| 10. |
- Andersen, Ken, et al.
(författare)
-
B-10 multi-grid proportional gas counters for large area thermal neutron detectors
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-5087 .- 0168-9002 .- 1872-9576. ; 720, s. 116-121
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- He-3 was a popular material in neutrons detectors until its availability dropped drastically in 2008. The development of techniques based on alternative convertors is now of high priority for neutron research institutes. Thin films of B-10 or (B4C)-B-10 have been used in gas proportional counters to detect neutrons, but until now, only for small or medium sensitive area. We present here the multi-grid design, introduced at the ILL and developed in collaboration with ESS for LAN (large area neutron) detectors. Typically thirty (B4C)-B-10 films of 1 mu m thickness are used to convert neutrons into ionizing particles which are subsequently detected in a proportional gas counter. The principle and the fabrication of the multi-grid are described and some preliminary results obtained with a prototype of 200 cm x 8 cm are reported; a detection efficiency of 48% has been measured at 2.5 angstrom with a monochromatic neutron beam line, showing the good potential of this new technique. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 11. |
- Birch, Jens, et al.
(författare)
-
(B4C)-B-10 Multi-Grid as an Alternative to He-3 for Large Area Neutron Detectors
- 2013
-
Ingår i: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science. - 0018-9499 .- 1558-1578. ; 60:2, s. 871-878
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite its present shortage, He-3 continues to be the most common neutron converter for detectors in neutron scattering science. However, it is obvious that the development of large area neutron detectors based on alternative neutron converters is rapidly becoming a matter of urgency. In the technique presented here, grids each comprising 28 (B4C)-B-10 layers ( each 1 mu m thick) are used to convert neutrons into ionizing particles which are subsequently detected in proportional gas counters. The total active area of the prototype is 8 cm x 200 cm. To instrument this detector 4.6 m(2) of B-10-enriched boron carbide were coated onto aluminium blades using a DC magnetron sputtering machine. Characterization of the prototype showed neutron efficiency to be epsilon(n) = 46.8% for 2.5 angstrom neutrons, which is in line with expectations from MC simulation. This result demonstrates the potential of this technique as alternative to He-3-based position sensitive detectors.
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| 12. |
- Christensen, M. J., et al.
(författare)
-
Software-based data acquisition and processing for neutron detectors at European Spallation Source-early experience from four detector designs
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 13:11
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- European Spallation Source (ESS) will deliver neutrons at high flux for use in diverse neutron scattering techniques. The neutron source facility and the scientific instruments will be located in Lund, and the Data Management and Software Centre (DMSC), in Copenhagen. A number of detector prototypes are being developed at ESS together with its European in-kind partners, for example: SoNDe, Multi-Grid, Multi-Blade and Gd-GEM. These are all position sensitive detectors but use different techniques for the detection of neutrons. Except for digitization of electronics readout, all neutron data is anticipated to be processed in software. This provides maximum flexibility and adaptability and allows deep inspection of the raw data for commissioning which will reduce the risk of starting up new detector technologies. But it also requires development of high performance software processing pipelines and optimized and scalable processing algorithms. This report provides a description of the ESS system architecture for the neutron data path. Special focus is on the interface between the detectors and DMSC which is based on UDP over Ethernet links. The report also describes the software architecture for detector data processing and the tools we have developed, which have proven very useful for efficient early experimentation, and can be run on a single laptop. Processing requirements for the SoNDe, Multi-Grid, Multi-Blade and Ge-GEM detectors are presented and compared to event processing rates archived so far.
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| 13. |
- Dijulio, Douglas D., et al.
(författare)
-
Characterization of the radiation background at the Spallation Neutron Source
- 2016
-
Ingår i: VI European Conference On Neutron Scattering (ECNS2015). - : IOP Publishing. ; 746:1
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a survey of the radiation background at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN, USA during routine daily operation. A broad range of detectors was used to characterize primarily the neutron and photon fields throughout the facility. These include a WENDI-2 extended range dosimeter, a thermoscientific NRD, an Arktis He-4 detector, and a standard Nal photon detector. The information gathered from the detectors was used to map out the neutron dose rates throughout the facility and also the neutron dose rate and flux profiles of several different beamlines. The survey provides detailed information useful for developing future shielding concepts at spallation neutron sources, such as the European Spallation Source (ESS), currently under construction in Lund, Sweden.
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| 14. |
- Kanaki, K., et al.
(författare)
-
An alternative small angle neutron scattering detector
- 2013
-
Ingår i: IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record. - : IEEE conference proceedings. - 9781479905348 ; , s. Art. no. 6829478-
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- An alternative detector design for Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) applications is currently under development at the European Spallation Source (ESS). Given the unavailability and high price of 3He, this detector design utilizes gaseous detectors with 10B as neutron converter and is ideally suited for a SANS instrument at the ESS. The novel aspects of the geometry, exploiting the properties of the converting material, in combination with the performance of the detector are addressed by means of analytical calculations, as well as detailed Monte Carlo simulations using a customized version of Geant4. Last but not least, the progress on the conceptual prototype design is presented. © 2013 IEEE.
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| 15. |
- Piscitelli, F., et al.
(författare)
-
The Multi-Blade Boron-10-based neutron detector for high intensity neutron reflectometry at ESS
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Journal of Instrumentation. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 1748-0221. ; 12:3
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Multi-Blade is a Boron-10-based gaseous detector introduced to face the challenge arising in neutron reflectometry at pulsed neutron sources. Neutron reflectometers are the most challenging instruments in terms of instantaneous counting rate and spatial resolution. This detector has been designed to cope with the requirements set for the reflectometers at the upcoming European Spallation Source (ESS) in Sweden. Based on previous results obtained at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in France, an improved demonstrator has been built at ESS and tested at the Budapest Neutron Centre (BNC) in Hungary and at the Source Testing Facility (STF) at the Lund University in Sweden. A detailed description of the detector and the results of the tests are discussed in this manuscript.
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| 16. |
- Rofors, E., et al.
(författare)
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Response of a Li-glass/multi-anode photomultiplier detector to alpha-particles from Am-241
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-9002 .- 1872-9576. ; 929, s. 90-96
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The response of a position-sensitive Li-glass scintillator detector to alpha-particles from a collimated Am-241 source scanned across the face of the detector has been measured. Scintillation light was read out by an 8 x 8 pixel multi-anode photomultiplier and the signal amplitude for each pixel has been recorded for every position on a scan. The pixel signal is strongly dependent on position and in general several pixels will register a signal (a hit) above a given threshold. The effect of this threshold on hit multiplicity is studied, with a view to optimize the single-hit efficiency of the detector.
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| 17. |
- Scherzinger, J., et al.
(författare)
-
Tagging fast neutrons from an 241Am/9Be source
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Applied Radiation and Isotopes. - : Elsevier BV. - 0969-8043 .- 1872-9800. ; 98, s. 74-79
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Shielding, coincidence, and time-of-flight measurement techniques are employed to tag fast neutrons emitted from an 241Am/9Be source resulting in a continuous polychromatic energy-tagged beam of neutrons with energies up to 7MeV. The measured energy structure of the beam agrees qualitatively with both previous measurements and theoretical calculations.
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| 18. |
- Albani, Giorgia, et al.
(författare)
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Evolution in boron-based GEM detectors for diffraction measurements : From planar to 3D converters
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Measurement science and technology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0957-0233 .- 1361-6501. ; 27:11
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The so-called '3He-crisis' has motivated the neutron detector community to undertake an intense R&D programme in order to develop technologies alternative to standard 3He tubes and suitable for neutron detection systems in future spallation sources such as the European spallation source (ESS). Boron-based GEM (gas electron multiplier) detectors are a promising '3He-free' technology for thermal neutron detection in neutron scattering experiments. In this paper the evolution of boron-based GEM detectors from planar to 3D converters with an application in diffraction measurements is presented. The use of 3D converters coupled with GEMs allows for an optimization of the detector performances. Three different detectors were used for diffraction measurements on the INES instrument at the ISIS spallation source. The performances of the GEM-detectors are compared with those of conventional 3He tubes installed on the INES instrument. The conceptual detector with the 3D converter used in this paper reached a count rate per unit area of about 25% relative to the currently installed 3He tube. Its timing resolution is similar and the signal-to-background ratio (S/B) is 2 times lower.
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| 19. |
- Ball, A., et al.
(författare)
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Design, implementation and first measurements with the Medipix2-MXR detector at the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 6
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Medipix detector is the first device dedicated to measuring mixed-field radiation in the CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) experiment cavern and able to distinguish between different particle types. Medipix2-MXR chips bump bonded to silicon sensors with various neutron conversion layers developed by the IEAP CTU in Prague were successfully installed for the 2008 LHC start-up in the CMS experimental and services caverns to measure the flux of various particle types, in particular neutrons. They have operated almost continuously during the 2010 run period, and the results shown here are from the proton run between the beginning of July and the end of October 2010. Clear signals are seen and different particle types have been observed during regular LHC luminosity running, and an agreement in the measured flux is found with the simulations. These initial results are promising, and indicate that these devices have the potential for further and future LHC and high energy physics applications as radiation monitoring devices for mixed field environments, including neutron flux monitoring. Further extensions are foreseen in the near future to increase the performance of the detector and its coverage for monitoring in CMS.
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
- Cherkashyna, Nataliia, et al.
(författare)
-
High energy particle background at neutron spallation sources and possible solutions
- 2014
-
Ingår i: International Workshop on Neutron Optics and Detectors (NOP&D 2013) 2–5 July 2013, Munich, Germany. - : IOP Publishing. - 1742-6596 .- 1742-6588. ; 528, s. 012013-012013
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Modern spallation neutron sources are driven by proton beams similar to GeV energies. Whereas low energy particle background shielding is well understood for reactors sources of neutrons (similar to 20 MeV), for high energies (100s MeV to multiple GeV) there is potential to improve shielding solutions and reduce instrument backgrounds significantly. We present initial measured data on high energy particle backgrounds, which illustrate the results of particle showers caused by high energy particles from spallation neutron sources. We use detailed physics models of different materials to identify new shielding solutions for such neutron sources, including laminated layers of multiple materials. In addition to the steel and concrete, which are used traditionally, we introduce some other options that are new to the neutron scattering community, among which there are copper alloys as used in hadronic calorimeters in high energy physics laboratories. These concepts have very attractive energy absorption characteristics, and simulations predict that the background suppression could be improved by one or two orders of magnitude. These solutions are expected to be great benefit to the European Spallation Source, where the majority of instruments are potentially affected by high energy backgrounds, as well as to existing spallation sources.
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
- Dian, E., et al.
(författare)
-
Neutron activation and prompt gamma intensity in Ar/CO2-filled neutron detectors at the European Spallation Source
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Applied Radiation and Isotopes. - : Elsevier BV. - 0969-8043 .- 1872-9800. ; 128, s. 275-286
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Monte Carlo simulations using MCNP6.1 were performed to study the effect of neutron activation in Ar/CO2 neutron detector counting gas. A general MCNP model was built and validated with simple analytical calculations. Simulations and calculations agree that only the Ar-40 activation can have a considerable effect. It was shown that neither the prompt gamma intensity from the Ar-40 neutron capture nor the produced Ar-41 activity have an impact in terms of gamma dose rate around the detector and background level.
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| 24. |
- Imam, Mewlude, et al.
(författare)
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Trimethylboron as Single-Source Precursor for Boron-Carbon Thin Film Synthesis by Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition
- 2016
-
Ingår i: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 120:38, s. 21990-21997
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Boron carbon (BxC) thin films are potential neutron converting layers for B-10-based neutron detectors. However, as common material choices for such detectors do not tolerate temperatures above 500 degrees C, a low temperature deposition route is required. Here, we study trimethylboron B(CH3)(3) (TMB) as a single-source precursor for the deposition of BxC thin films by plasma CVD using Ar plasma. The effect of plasma power, TMB/Ar flow ratio and total pressure, on the film composition, morphology, chemical bonding, and microstructures are investigated. Dense and boron-rich films (B/C = 1.9) are achieved at high TMB flow under a low total pressure and high plasma power, which rendered an approximate substrate temperature of similar to 300 degrees C. Films mainly contain B-C bonds with the presence of B-O and C-C, which is attributed to be the origin of formed amorphous carbon in the films. The high H content 15 +/- 5 at. %) is almost independent of deposition parameters and contributed to lower the film density (2.16 g/cm(3)). The plasma compositional analysis shows that the TMB molecule decomposes to mainly atomic H, C-2, BH, and CH. A plasma chemical model for the decomposition of TMB with BH and CH as the plausible film depositing species in the plasma is proposed.
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| 25. |
- Jebali, R., et al.
(författare)
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A first comparison of the responses of a He-4-based fast-neutron detector and a NE-213 liquid-scintillator reference detector
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-9002 .- 1872-9576 .- 0167-5087. ; 794, s. 102-108
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A first comparison has been made between the pulse-shape discrimination characteristics of a novel He-4-based pressurized scintillation detector and a NE-213 liquicl-scintillator reference detector using an Am/Be mixed-field neutron and gamma-ray source and a high-resolution scintillation-pulse digitizer. In particular, the capabilities of the two fast neutron detectors to discriminate between neutrons and gamma-rays were investigated. The NE-213 liquicl-scintillator reference cell produced a wide range of scintillation-light yields in response to he gamma-ray field of the source. In stark contrast, clue to the size and pressure of the He-4 gas volume, the He-4-based detector registered a maximum scintillation-light yield of 750 keV(ee) to the same gamma-ray field. Pulse-shape discrimination for particles with scintillation-light yields of more than 750 keV(ee) was excellent in the case of the He-4-based detector. Above 750 keV(ee) its signal was unambiguously neutron, enabling particle identification based entirely upon the amount of scintillation light produced. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
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| 26. |
- Kanaki, K., et al.
(författare)
-
Statistical energy determination in neutron detector systems for neutron scattering science
- 2013
-
Ingår i: IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record. - : IEEE conference proceedings. - 9781479905348 ; , s. Art. no. 6829644-
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The energy determination of thermal and cold neutrons could revolutionize the field of neutron scattering science and transform the instrument design for future facilities. This contribution evaluates the feasibility and potential of a statistical determination of the neutron energy in the new generation of neutron detectors. In particular, the novel technology of multi-layer 10B thin film detectors present a unique opportunity of exploiting this possibility by using the various neutron penetration depths to extract energy information. A statistical mathematical model for doing so is being developed. To this end, measurements of absorption profiles on boron carbide have been performed at the Institutt for Energiteknikk, Norway and the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin, Germany. The results of the data analysis allow for a preliminary estimate on the feasibility and the potential of this method. © 2013 IEEE.
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| 27. |
- Khaplanov, A., et al.
(författare)
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Neutron beam monitors for the European spallation source
- 2015
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Ingår i: 2015 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference, NSS/MIC 2015. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 9781467398626
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The European Spallation Source (ESS), currently under construction in Lund, Sweden, will house a suite of 16 user instruments for neutron scattering experiments. The spallation source of the ESS will emit relatively long, 2.8 ms, neutron pulses with an integrated flux that will greatly exceed that of current facilities. This leads to both large advancements in instrument performance as well as to increased length and complexity of the beam delivery systems. The instruments will each be equipped with neutron beam monitors used for data normalisation and analysis, as well as commissioning and diagnostics. In this paper we present the requirements for beam monitors for the ESS and the strategy to meet these in a standardised approach. A large range of specifications in efficiency, dynamic range, time and position resolution, compatible materials are needed. A new feature for neutron beam monitors for some locations, is the ability to measure time profile of each source pulse individually. In general, event mode readout will be used for monitors, similarly to other neutron detectors at the facility. A selection of detectors based on different technologies will be available. Monitors will be integrated with beam lines and choppers in a way that allows to freely choose the type of monitor based on final requirements of an instrument. For this end, space for a standardised module, housing a monitor will be provided in conjunction with chopper assemblies and elsewhere on each beam line.
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| 28. |
- Kirstein, Oliver, et al.
(författare)
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Neutron position sensitive detectors for the ESS
- 2014
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Ingår i: Proceedings of Science. - : Proceedings of Science (PoS). ; Vertex2014, s. 029-029
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The European Spallation Source (ESS) in Lund, Sweden will become the world's leading neutron source for the study of materials. It will be a long pulse source, with an average beam power of 5 MW delivered to the target station. The ESS is in the construction phase, which started in 2013 with the completion of the Technical Design Report (TDR). The instruments are being selected from conceptual proposals submitted by groups from around Europe. These instruments present numerous challenges for detector technology in the absence of the availability of Helium-3, which is the default choice for detectors for instruments built until today and due to the extreme rates expected across the ESS instrument suite. Additionally a new generation of source requires a new generation of detector technologies to fully exploit the opportunities that this source provides. To meet this challenge at a green-field site, the detectors will be sourced from partners across Europe through numerous in-kind arrangements; a process that is somewhat novel for the neutron scattering community. This contribution presents briefly the current status of detectors for the ESS, and outlines the timeline to completion. For a conjectured instrument suite based upon instruments recommended for construction, a recently updated snapshot of the current expected detector requirements is presented. A strategy outline as to how these requirements might be tackled by novel detector developments is shown. In terms of future developments for the neutron community, synergies should be sought with other disciples, as recognized by various recent initiatives in Europe, in the context of the fundamentally multi-disciplinary nature of detectors. This strategy has at its basis the in-kind and collaborative partnerships necessary to be able to produce optimally performant detectors that allow the ESS instruments to be world-leading. This foresees and encourages a high level of collaboration and interdependence at its core, and rather than each group being all-rounders in every technology, the further development of centres of excellence across Europe for particular technologies and niches.
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| 29. |
- Messi, F., et al.
(författare)
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Gamma- and Fast Neutron- Sensitivity of 10B- Based Neutron Detectors at ESS
- 2017
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Ingår i: 2017 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference, NSS/MIC 2017 - Conference Proceedings. - 9781538622827
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The European Spallation Source (ESS), presently under construction in Lund, Sweden, is designed to be the world's brightest neutron source. When it will be in operation, ESS will deliver an instantaneous neutron flux on detectors that will be without precedent. A down side of the high brightness will be the increase of background, especially from gamma-rays and fast-neutrons.Considering that scattering cross-sections of many samples tend to be relatively low and that the gamma- and fast-neutronbackgrounds tend to be considerable high at spallation facilities [Che +14], the signal-to-noise ratio of a measurement needs to be maximised. The sensitivity of a thermal-neutron detector to gamma-rays and to fast-neutrons is a very important characteristic, as it defines the best achievable signal-to-noise ratio for the measurement. It is therefore crucial to measure the gamma- and fast-neutron- sensitivities of all detectors that will be installed on the instruments at ESS.
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| 30. |
- Nowak, G., et al.
(författare)
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Boron carbide coatings for neutron detection probed by x-rays, ions, and neutrons to determine thin film quality
- 2015
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Ingår i: Applied Physics Reviews. - : AIP Publishing. - 1931-9401. ; 117:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Due to the present shortage of He-3 and the associated tremendous increase of its price, the supply of large neutron detection systems with He-3 becomes unaffordable. Alternative neutron detection concepts, therefore, have been invented based on solid B-10 converters. These concepts require development in thin film deposition technique regarding high adhesion, thickness uniformity and chemical purity of the converter coating on large area substrates. We report on the sputter deposition of highly uniform large-area (B4C)-B-10 coatings of up to 2 mu m thickness with a thickness deviation below 4% using the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht large area sputtering system. The (B4C)-B-10 coatings are x-ray amorphous and highly adhesive to the substrate. Material analysis by means of X-ray-Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Secondary-Ion-Mass-Spectrometry, and Rutherford-Back-Scattering (RBS) revealed low impurities concentration in the coatings. The isotope composition determined by Secondary-Ion-Mass-Spectrometry, RBS, and inelastic nuclear reaction analysis of the converter coatings evidences almost identical B-10 isotope contents in the sputter target and in the deposited coating. Neutron conversion and detection test measurements with variable irradiation geometry of the converter coating demonstrate an average relative quantum efficiency ranging from 65% to 90% for cold neutrons as compared to a black He-3-monitor. Thus, these converter coatings contribute to the development of He-3-free prototype detectors based on neutron grazing incidence. Transferring the developed coating process to an industrial scale sputtering system can make alternative He-3-free converter elements available for large area neutron detection systems. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.
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| 31. |
- Piscitelli, Francesco, et al.
(författare)
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Neutron reflectometry on highly absorbing films and its application to (B4C)-B-10-based neutron detectors
- 2016
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Ingår i: Royal Society of London. Proceedings A. Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 1364-5021 .- 1471-2946. ; 472:2185
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neutron reflectometry is a powerful tool used for studies of surfaces and interfaces. The absorption in the typical studied materials is neglected and this technique is limited only to the reflectivity measurement. For strongly absorbing nuclei, the absorption can be directly measured by using the neutron-induced fluorescence technique which exploits the prompt particle emission of absorbing isotopes. This technique is emerging from soft matter and biology where highly absorbing nuclei, in very small quantities, are used as a label for buried layers. Nowadays, the importance of absorbing layers is rapidly increasing, partially because of their application in neutron detection; a field that has become more active also due to the He-3-shortage. We extend the neutron-induced fluorescence technique to the study of layers of highly absorbing materials, in particular (B4C)-B-10. The theory of neutron reflectometry is a commonly studied topic; however, when a strong absorption is present the subtle relationship between the reflection and the absorption of neutrons is not widely known. The theory for a general stack of absorbing layers has been developed and compared to measurements. We also report on the requirements that a (B4C)-B-10 layer must fulfil in order to be employed as a converter in neutron detection.
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| 32. |
- Scherzinger, Julius, et al.
(författare)
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A comparison of untagged gamma-ray and tagged-neutron yields from 241AmBe and 238PuBe sources
- 2017
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Ingår i: Applied Radiation and Isotopes. - : Elsevier BV. - 0969-8043 .- 1872-9800. ; 127, s. 98-102
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Untagged gamma-ray and tagged-neutron yields from 241AmBe and 238PuBe mixed-field sources have been measured. Gamma-ray spectroscopy measurements from 1 to 5 MeV were performed in an open environment using a CeBr3 detector and the same experimental conditions for both sources. The shapes of the distributions are very similar and agree well with previous data. Tagged-neutron measurements from 2 to 6 MeV were performed in a shielded environment using a NE-213 liquid-scintillator detector for the neutrons and a YAP(Ce) detector to tag the 4.44 MeV gamma-rays associated with the de-excitation of the first-excited state of 12C. Again, the same experimental conditions were used for both sources. The shapes of these distributions are also very similar and agree well with previous data, each other, and the ISO recommendation. Our 238PuBe source provides approximately 2.6 times more 4.44 MeV gamma-rays and 2.4 times more neutrons over the tagged-neutron energy range, the latter in reasonable agreement with the original full-spectrum source-calibration measurements performed at the time of their acquisition.
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| 33. |
- Scherzinger, Julius, et al.
(författare)
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Tagging fast neutrons from a Cf-252 fission-fragment source
- 2017
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Ingår i: Applied Radiation and Isotopes. - : Elsevier BV. - 0969-8043 .- 1872-9800. ; 128, s. 270-274
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coincidence and time-of-flight measurement techniques are employed to tag fission neutrons emitted from a Cf-252 source sealed on one side with a very thin layer of Au. The source is positioned within a gaseous He-4 scintillator detector. Together with a particles, both light and heavy fission fragments pass through the thin layer of Au and are detected. The fragments enable the corresponding fission neutrons, which are detected in a NE-213 liquid-scintillator detector, to be tagged. The resulting continuous polychromatic beam of tagged neutrons has an energy dependence that agrees qualitatively with expectations. We anticipate that this technique will provide a cost-effective means for the characterization of neutron-detector efficiency in the energy range 1-6 MeV.
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