Multitube monitors: a new-generation of neutron beam monitors
F. Lafont, D. Barkats, J-C. Buffet, S. Cuccaro, B. Guerard, C-C Lai, J. Marchal, J. Pentenero, N. Sartor, R. Hall-Wilton, K. Kanaki, L. Robinson, P O. Svensson
With the renewal of many neutron science instruments and the commissioning of new neutron facilities, there is a rising demand for improved neutron beam monitoring systems with reduced beam perturbations and higher counting rate capability. Fission chambers are the most popular beam monitors; however, their use on some instruments may be prevented by the background generated by fast neutrons emitted during neutron captures in 235U and by neutrons scattered in the material of the fission chamber. Multitube detectors, on the other hand, offer a good alternative with minimum beam perturbations. The purpose of this paper is to report and analyse the results of the measurements performed with several Multitubes used for beam monitoring. We show that the transparency of Multitube beam monitors is 97.6 +/-0.4 %, and that their detection efficiency is uniform, with a deviation from the mean value < 0.7%. A counting rate reduction of 10% due to pile-up effects is measured at a rate of 550 kHz. In addition to neutron beam intensity monitoring, the Multitube can be configured for 1-dimensional or 2-dimensional localisation. We present the preliminary results of these additional functionalities.
Neutron beam monitors are an essential diagnostic component of neutron scattering facilities. They are used to measure neutron flux, calibrating experiments performed on the instruments, allowing measurement of facility performance, understanding of the effect on the neutrons of beam-line components (such as choppers), calibration of detectors and tracking of beam stability. Ideally beam monitors {should} not perturb the beam. Previous work shows commercial beam monitors attenuate the beam by a few percent in the worst case due to the 1-2 mm thick Aluminium entrance and exit windows and the ma…
Uranium fission chambers are commonly used for neutron beam monitoring in neutron research facilities. The challenges brought with the renewing or commissioning of new neutron facilities encourage to minimize the interaction between the monitor and the neutron beam. In order to characterize both their detection efficiency and transmission factor, several fission chambers, have been scanned on the CT1 monochromatic beam line of the ILL. Results show that the monitor transparency, measured at the center of the monitor, varies from 90% to 96%, and that the detection efficiency varies by as much a…
Neutron beam monitors with high efficiency, low gamma sensitivity, high time and space resolution are required in neutron beam experiments to continuously diagnose the delivered beam. In this work, commercially available neutron beam monitors have been characterized using the R2D2 beamline at IFE (Norway) and using a Be-based neutron source. For the gamma sensitivity measurements different gamma sources have been used. The evaluation of the monitors includes, the study of their efficiency, attenuation, scattering and sensitivity to gamma. In this work we report the results of this characteriza…
In Chinese Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), proton beam is used to hit metal tungsten target, and then high flux neutrons are generated for experiments on instruments. For neutron flux spectrum correction, boron-coated GEM, lithium glass and 3He are used as neutron beam monitor in instruments. To be integrated into neutron instrument control, a new DAQ software for neutron beam monitor is developed, called NEROS (Neutron Event Readout System). NEROS is based on EPICS V4 and a unified data format for CSNS neutron beam monitor is defined. The framework and software design of NEROS is introduced…
Two types of neutron monitors with fine spatial resolution are proposed based on vibrating wire. In the first type, neutrons interact with the vibrating wire, heat it, and lead to the change of natural frequency, which can be precisely measured. To increase the heat deposition during the neutron scattering, use of gadolinium layer which has the highest thermal neutron capture cross section among all elements is proposed. The second type of the monitor uses vibrating wire as a resonant target. Besides the measurement of beam profile according to the average signal, the differential signal synch…
A prototype quasi-parasitic thermal neutron beam monitor based on isotropic neutron scattering from a thin natural vanadium foil and standard $^3$He proportional counters is conceptualized, designed, simulated, calibrated, and commissioned. The European Spallation Source designed to deliver the highest integrated neutron flux originating from a pulsed source is currently under construction in Lund, Sweden. The effort to investigate a vanadium-based neutron beam monitor was triggered by a list of requirements for Beam Monitors permanently placed in the ESS neutron beams in order to provide reli…
Evaluation of a method for time-of-flight, wavelength and distance calibration for neutron scattering instruments by means of a mini-chopper and standard neutron monitors
In Chinese Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), proton beam is used to hit metal tungsten target, and then high flux neutron are generated for experiments on instruments. For neutron flux spectrum correction, the current of proton beam is for each instrument. A real time monitor system is developed in CSNS, to monitor, broadcast and record each pulse of proton. Each proton pulse charge is measured and marked with high-precision timestamp. Then, the result of measurement will be broadcasted to control room and each neutron instrument. In control room, the proton charge of each pulse is listened an…
A clamp pressure cell for neutron scattering experiments at low temperatures and in external magnetic fields under pressure up to 2~GPa has been fabricated and tested. The cell provides optical access to the sample space that allows instantaneous pressure determination during sample loading, cooling and measuring using ruby and/or samarium doped strontium tetraborate fluorescence monitoring. A new calibration curve of the pressure-induced shift of the $^7D_0 - ^5F_0$ (0-0) line in the fluorescent spectrum of SrB$_4$O$_7$:Sm$^{2+}$ for moderate pressures, $P\leqslant{2}$ GPa, is given.
During 2014 the second experimental area EAR2 was completed at the n-TOF neutron beam facility at CERN. As the neutrons are produced via spallation, by means of a high-intensity 20 GeV pulsed proton beam impinging on a thick target, the resulting neutron beam covers an enormous energy range, from thermal to several GeV. In this paper we describe two beam diagnostic devices, designed and built at INFN-LNS, both exploiting silicon detectors coupled with neutron converter foils containing 6Li. The first one is based on four silicon pads and allows to monitor the neutron beam flux as a function of…
Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensing (CRNS) is a powerful technique that allows non-invasive monitoring of soil moisture on length scales well matched for agricultural applications. One factor limiting the use of the technique within industrial agriculture settings is the high initial cost of Helium-3 or BF3 tubes typically used for ground level neutron monitoring. This paper discusses the use of Geant4 to optimise an alternative scintillator based neutron detector that may be applicable for challenges where cost is a higher driving factor than temporal resolution.
The near-Earth cosmic ray flux has been monitored for more than 70 years by a network of ground-based neutron monitors (NMs). With the ever-increasing importance of quantifying the radiation risk and effects of cosmic rays for, e.g., air and space-travel, it is essential to continue operating the existing NM stations, while expanding this crucial network. In this paper, we discuss a smaller and cost-effective version of the traditional NM, the mini-NM. These monitors can be deployed with ease, even to extremely remote locations, where they operate in a semi-autonomous fashion. We believe that …
We present results from a first demonstration of a magnetic field monitoring system for a neutron electric dipole moment experiment. The system is designed to reconstruct the vector components of the magnetic field in the interior measurement region solely from exterior measurements.
The Plateau de Bure Neutron Monitor: design, operation and Monte-Carlo simulation
本文介绍了Plateau de Bure中子监测仪（PdBNM），这是一种对初级宇宙射线与地球大气相互作用产生的大气次级中子通量进行连续地面测量的仪器。该探测器安装在Plateau de Bure（法国南部Devoluy山脉，北纬44° 38' 02”，东经5° 54' 26”，海拔2555米），作为ASTEP平台（欧洲高空单粒子效应测试平台）的一部分，ASTEP平台是一个永久性装置，专门用于研究地球自然辐射对微电子电路可靠性的影响。本文报道了中子监测器的设计，自2008年8月以来的运行情况，以及使用蒙特卡罗程序GEANT 4和MCNPX进行的完整数值模拟。我们特别详细的中子，μ子，质子和π子，GEANT4和MCNPX数值结果之间的比较和PdBNM计数率的函数的入射大气粒子的性质和通量的评估的中子监测器检测响应函数的计算。
We present the outlines of a new microcontroller based data acquisition system which is aimed for reliable operation in a typical cosmic ray particle registration experiment. The system supports connection of up to 16 input signals and ensures the following operation functionality: (1)stable monitoring of the intensity of a digital pulse signal, or digitization of a continuous potential level with a low time resolution (typically, in the limits of 1-100s); (2)registration of a continuous high-resolution (up to 5-10us) time series of the intensity of input signal; (3)synchronization of register…
Monitoring of high energy cosmic ray neutrons is of particular interest for cosmic ray water Cherenkov detectors as intense bundles of delayed neutrons have been found to arrive after the initial passage of a high energy air shower. In this paper we explore the possibility of building large-area high-energy neutron monitors using gadolinium-loaded Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCDs). GEANT4 simulations of photon production in WCDs are used to estimate the maximum detection efficiency for a hypothetical system. Requiring a series of neutron induced gamma ray flashes distributed over an extended pe…
Using a setup for testing a prototype for a satellite-borne cosmic-ray ion detector, we have operated a stack of scintillator and silicon detectors on top of the Princess Sirindhorn Neutron Monitor (PSNM), an NM64 detector at 2560-m altitude at Doi Inthanon, Thailand (18.59 N, 98.49 E). Monte Carlo simulations have indicated that about 15% of the neutron counts by PSNM are due to interactions (mostly in the lead producer) of GeV-range protons among the atmospheric secondary particles from cosmic ray showers, which can be detected by the scintillator and silicon detectors. Those detectors can p…
Efficient and reliable detection of radiological or nuclear threats is a crucial part of national and international efforts to prevent terrorist activities. Radiation Portal Monitors (RPMs), which are deployed worldwide, are intended to interdict smuggled fissile material by detecting emissions of neutrons and gamma rays. However, considering the range and variety of threat sources, vehicular and shielding scenarios, and that only a small signature is present, it is important that the design of the RPMs allows these signatures to be accurately differentiated from the environmental background. …
In this paper, we study a monitoring method for neutron flux for the spallation target used in an accelerator driven sub-critical (ADS) system, where a spallation target located vertically at the centre of a sub-critical core is bombarded vertically by high-energy protons from an accelerator. First, by considering the characteristics in the spatial variation of neutron flux from the spallation target, we propose a multi-point measurement technique, i.e. the spallation neutron flux should be measured at multiple vertical locations. To explain why the flux should be measured at multiple location…
The main objective of the European Spallation Source (ESS) is to perform consistently high impact neutron scattering science using the highest neutron flux of any facility in its class. This ambition is naturally accompanied by operational challenges related to the vertical integration of the instruments' hardware and software shared between collaborators from 13 European countries. The present work will detail integration tests performed at the V20 Test Instrument at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin in Germany. An ESS chopper prototype was successfully controlled through the ESS Chopper Integration C…
Cosmic-ray neutron probes are widely used to monitor environmental water content near the surface. The method averages over tens of hectares and is unrivaled in serving representative data for agriculture and hydrological models at the hectometer scale. Recent experiments, however, indicate that the sensor response to environmental heterogeneity is not fully understood. Knowledge of the support volume is a prerequisite for the proper interpretation and validation of hydrogeophysical data. In a previous study, several physical simplifications have been introduced into a neutron transport model …
We present the analysis and results of the first dataset collected with the MARS neutron detector deployed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) for the purpose of monitoring and characterizing the beam-related neutron (BRN) background for the COHERENT collaboration. MARS was positioned next to the COH-CsI coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering detector in the SNS basement corridor. This is the basement location of closest proximity to the SNS target and thus, of highest neutrino flux, but it is also well shielded from the BRN flux by infill concrete and gr…
The back-streaming white neutron source (Back-n) is a comprehensive neutron experimental platform for nuclear data measurement, nuclear astrophysics, neutron irradiation, detector calibration, etc. In order to meet a variety of experimental requirements, an attempt of various combinations of collimators has been made for the current collimation system. The basic parameters such as beam flux and beam spot characteristics under different beam operation modes have been studied. According to the change of the CSNS proton beam operation mode, the influence of different proton beam spots on the Back…
The puzzle remains in the large discrepancy between neutron lifetime measured by the two distinct experimental approaches -- counts of beta decays in a neutron beam and storage of ultracold neutrons in a potential trap, namely, the beam method versus the bottle method. In this paper, we propose a new experiment to measure the neutron lifetime in a cold neutron beam with a sensitivity goal of 0.1% or sub-1 second. The neutron beta decays will be counted in a superfluid helium-4 scintillation detector at 0.5 K, and the neutron flux will be simultaneously monitored by the helium-3 captures in the…
We report on the study of thermal neutron flux using monitors based on mixture of ZnS(Ag) and LiF enriched with a lithium-6 isotope at the deep underground laboratory DULB-4900 at the Baksan Neutrino Observatory. An annual modulation of thermal neutron flux in DULB-4900 is observed. Experimental evidences were obtained of correlation between the long-term thermal neutron flux variations and the absolute humidity of the air in laboratory. The amplitude of the modulation exceed 5\% of total neutron flux.
A technique for establishing the total neutron rate of a highly-collimated monochromatic cold neutron beam was demonstrated using a method of an alpha-gamma counter. The method involves only the counting of measured rates and is independent of neutron cross sections, decay chain branching ratios, and neutron beam energy. For the measurement, a target of 10B-enriched boron carbide totally absorbed the neutrons in a monochromatic beam, and the rate of absorbed neutrons was determined by counting 478keV gamma rays from neutron capture on 10B with calibrated high-purity germanium detectors. A seco…
A monitoring system for fast neutrons is planned in the COSINE experiment, a dark matter experiment with NaI crystals. We pursued several R&D approaches for a neutron detector using a liquid scintillator (LS). A pulse shape discrimination (PSD) technique is used for the identification of neutron events and the PSD properties of two different LS were compared. A good separation power between neutrons and $γ$ has been achieved for energies between 200 keVee to 1500 keVee. The combination of alumina adsorption, filtration, and water extraction is effective in purifying the LS, which leads to a re…
An instrument has been developed for precision controlled exposures of electronic devices and material samples in particle beams. The instrument provides simultaneously a real time record of the profile of the beam and the fluence received. The system is capable of treating devices with dimensional scales ranging from millimeters to extended objects of cross sections measured in tens of square centimeters. The instrument has been demonstrated to operate effectively in integrated fluences ranging up to a few times $10^{16}$ 1-MeV-neutron-equivalent/cm$^{2}$ (n$_{\textrm{eq}}$). The positioner p…
