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| 2. |
- Birch, J., et al.
(author)
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Multi-Grid boron-10 detector for time-of-flight spectrometers in neutron scattering science
- 2015
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In: 2015 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference, NSS/MIC 2015. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 9781467398626
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)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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| 3. |
- Anastasopoulos, M., et al.
(author)
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Multi-Grid detector for neutron spectroscopy : Results obtained on time-of-flight spectrometer CNCS
- 2017
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In: Journal of Instrumentation. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 1748-0221. ; 12:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)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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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Birch, Jens, et al.
(author)
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(B4C)-B-10 Multi-Grid as an Alternative to He-3 for Large Area Neutron Detectors
- 2013
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In: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science. - 0018-9499 .- 1558-1578. ; 60:2, s. 871-878
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)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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| 6. |
- Birch, Jens, et al.
(author)
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In-beam test of the Boron-10 Multi-Grid neutron detector at the IN6 time-of-flight spectrometer at the ILL
- 2014
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In: INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON NEUTRON OPTICS AND DETECTORS (NOPandD 2013). - : IOP Publishing: Conference Series / Institute of Physics (IoP).
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A neutron detector concept based on solid layers of boron carbide enriched in 1 B has been in development for the last few years as an alternative for He-3 by collaboration between the ILL, ESS and Linkoping University. This Multi-Grid detector uses layers of aluminum substrates coated with (B4C)-B-10 on both sides that are traversed by the incoming neutrons. Detection is achieved using a gas counter readout principle. By segmenting the substrate and using multiple anode wires, the detector is made inherently position sensitive. This development is aimed primarily at neutron scattering instruments with large detector areas, such as time-of-flight chopper spectrometers. The most recent prototype has been built to be interchangeable with the He-3 detectors of IN6 at ILL. The 1 B detector has an active area of 32 x 48 cm(2). It was installed at the IN6 instrument and operated for several weeks, collecting data in parallel with the regularly scheduled experiments, thus providing the first side-by-side comparison with the conventional He-3 detectors. Results include an efficiency comparison, assessment of the in-detector scattering contribution, sensitivity to gamma-rays and the signal-to-noise ratio in time-of-flight spectra. The good expected performance has been confirmed with the exception of an unexpected background count rate. This has been identified as natural alpha activity in aluminum. New convertor substrates are under study to eliminate this source of background.
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| 7. |
- Christensen, M. J., et al.
(author)
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Software-based data acquisition and processing for neutron detectors at European Spallation Source-early experience from four detector designs
- 2018
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In: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 13:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)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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| 10. |
- Kanaki, K., et al.
(author)
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An alternative small angle neutron scattering detector
- 2013
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In: IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record. - : IEEE conference proceedings. - 9781479905348 ; , s. Art. no. 6829478-
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)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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| 11. |
- Khaplanov, Anton, et al.
(author)
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Investigation of gamma-ray sensitivity of neutron detectors based on thin converter films
- 2013
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In: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)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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| 12. |
- Mauri, G., et al.
(author)
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Neutron reflectometry with the Multi-Blade B-10-based detector
- 2018
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In: Proceedings of the Royal Society. Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 1364-5021 .- 1471-2946. ; 474:2216
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Multi-Blade is a boron-10-based gaseous detector developed for neutron reflectometry instruments at the European Spallation Source in Sweden. The main challenges for neutron reflectometry detectors are the instantaneous counting rate and spatial resolution. The Multi-Blade has been tested on the CRISP reflectometer at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source in the UK. A campaign of scientific measurements has been performed to study the Multi-Blade response in real instrumental conditions. The results of these tests are discussed in this paper.
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| 13. |
- Messi, F., et al.
(author)
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Gamma- and Fast Neutron- Sensitivity of 10B- Based Neutron Detectors at ESS
- 2017
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In: 2017 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference, NSS/MIC 2017 - Conference Proceedings. - 9781538622827
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)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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| 14. |
- Messi, F., et al.
(author)
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The neutron-tagging facility at Lund University
- 2020
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In: Modern Neutron Detection : Proceedings of a Technical Meeting - Proceedings of a Technical Meeting. - 1011-4289. - 9789201265203 - 9789201266200 ; :1935, s. 287-297
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Over the last decades, the field of thermal neutron detection has overwhelmingly employed He-3-based technologies. The He-3 crisis together with the forthcoming establishment of the European Spallation Source have necessitated the development of new technologies for neutron detection. Today, several promising He-3-free candidates are under detailed study and need to be validated. This validation process is in general long and expensive. The study of detector prototypes using neutron-emitting radioactive sources is a cost-effective solution, especially for preliminary investigations. That said, neutron-emitting sources have the general disadvantage of broad, structured, emitted-neutron energy ranges. Further, the emitted neutrons often compete with unwanted backgrounds of gamma-rays, alpha-particles, and fission-fragments. By blending experimental infrastructure such as shielding to provide particle beams with neutron-detection techniques such as tagging, disadvantages may be converted into advantages. In particular, a technique known as tagging involves exploiting the mixed-field generally associated with a neutron-emitting source to determine neutron time-of-flight and thus energy on an event-by-event basis. This allows for the definition of low-cost, precision neutron beams. The Source-Testing Facility, located at Lund University in Sweden and operated by the SONNIG Group of the Division of Nuclear Physics, was developed for just such low-cost studies. Precision tagged-neutron beams derived from radioactive sources are available around-the-clock for advanced detector diagnostic studies. Neutron measurements performed at the Source Testing Facility are thus cost-effective and have a very low barrier for entry. In this paper, we present an overview of the project.
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| 15. |
- Piscitelli, F., et al.
(author)
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Characterization of the Multi-Blade 10B-based detector at the CRISP reflectometer at ISIS for neutron reflectometry at ESS
- 2018
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In: Journal of Instrumentation. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 1748-0221. ; 13:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Multi-Blade is a Boron-10-based gaseous thermal neutron detector developed to face the challenge arising in neutron reflectometry at neutron sources. Neutron reflectometers are challenging instruments in terms of instantaneous counting rate and spatial resolution. This detector has been designed according to the requirements given by the reflectometers at the European Spallation Source (ESS) in Sweden. The Multi-Blade has been installed and tested on the CRISP reflectometer at the ISIS neutron and muon source in U.K.. The results on the detailed detector characterization are discussed in this manuscript.
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| 16. |
- Piscitelli, Francesco, et al.
(author)
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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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In: Royal Society of London. Proceedings A. Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 1364-5021 .- 1471-2946. ; 472:2185
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)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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| 17. |
- Piscitelli, F., et al.
(author)
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Study of a high spatial resolution B-10-based thermal neutron detector for application in neutron reflectometry: the Multi-Blade prototype
- 2014
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In: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Although for large area detectors it is crucial to find an alternative to detect thermal neutrons because of the He-3 shortage, this is not the case for small area detectors. Neutron scattering science is still growing its instruments' power and the neutron flux a detector must tolerate is increasing. For small area detectors the main effort is to expand the detectors' performances. At Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) we developed the Multi-Blade detector which wants to increase the spatial resolution of He-3-based detectors for high flux applications. We developed a high spatial resolution prototype suitable for neutron reflectometry instruments. It exploits solid B-10-films employed in a proportional gas chamber. Two prototypes have been constructed at ILL and the results obtained on our monochromatic test beam line are presented here.
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