A portable and wide energy range semiconductor-based neutron spectrometer

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Vol. 803; pp. 68 - 81
• Main Authors: Hoshor, C.B., Oakes, T.M., Myers, E.R., Rogers, B.J., Currie, J.E., Young, S.M., Crow, J.A., Scott, P.R., Miller, W.H., Bellinger, S.L., Sobering, T.J., Fronk, R.G., Shultis, J.K., McGregor, D.S., Caruso, A.N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 11.12.2015
• Subjects: Moderating spectrometer; Neutron source identification; Neutron spectrometer; Portable neutron detector; Semiconductor-based neutron detector; Solid-state neutron detector; Semiconductor-based neutron detector; Solid-state neutron detector; Neutron source identification; Neutron spectrometer; Portable neutron detector; Moderating spectrometer
• ISSN: 0168-9002; 1872-9576
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2015.08.077

Hand-held instruments that can be used to passively detect and identify sources of neutron radiation—either bare or obscured by neutron moderating and/or absorbing material(s)—in real time are of interest in a variety of nuclear non-proliferation and health physics applications. Such an instrument must provide a means to high intrinsic detection efficiency and energy-sensitive measurements of free neutron fields, for neutrons ranging from thermal energies to the top end of the evaporation spectrum. To address and overcome the challenges inherent to the aforementioned applications, four solid-state moderating-type neutron spectrometers of varying cost, weight, and complexity have been designed, fabricated, and tested. The motivation of this work is to introduce these novel human-portable instruments by discussing the fundamental theory of their operation, investigating and analyzing the principal considerations for optimal instrument design, and evaluating the capability of each of the four fabricated spectrometers to meet the application needs.