Position-sensitive neutron detectors play an important role in neutron scattering studies. Detectors based on ~6LiF/ZnS(Ag) scintillator and wave-shifting fiber have the advantages of high neutron detection efficiency...Position-sensitive neutron detectors play an important role in neutron scattering studies. Detectors based on ~6LiF/ZnS(Ag) scintillator and wave-shifting fiber have the advantages of high neutron detection efficiency, high position resolution,and large-area splicing, and can well meet the requirement of large area neutron detection for neutron diffractometers. An engineering detector prototype based on a ~6LiF/ZnS(Ag) scintillation screen and SiPM array readout was fabricated for the General Purpose Powder Diffractometer of China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS). The detector has an active area of 196 mm × 444 mm, with a pixel size of 4 mm × 4 mm. The key performances of the detector prototype were tested at the BL20 neutron beam line of CSNS. The test results show that the neutron detection efficiency of the detector was 32% and 42% at wavelengths of 1.4 ? and 2.8 ?, respectively. An interpolated neutron detection efficiency of 40.2% at a wavelength of 2 ? was obtained. The tested neutron efficiency non-uniformity of the detector was 10.2%, which is less than one-half that of the current general purpose powder diffractometer scintillator neutron detectors at CSNS. This work achieves, for the first time, an efficiency uniformity of < 11% in large-area mosaic neutron detectors, alongside significant advancements in electromagnetic interference immunity and cost-effectiveness.展开更多
The rapid growth of neutron flux has driven the development of^(3)He-free neutron detectors to satisfy the requirements of the neutron scattering instruments under construction or planned at the China Spallation Neutr...The rapid growth of neutron flux has driven the development of^(3)He-free neutron detectors to satisfy the requirements of the neutron scattering instruments under construction or planned at the China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS).Position-sensitive neutron detectors with a high counting rate and large area play an important role in the instruments performing neutron measurements in or close to the direct beam.The ceramic gas-electron-multiplier(GEM)detector serves as a promising solution,and considerable work has been done using the small-area GEM neutron detectors.In this article,we designed and constructed a detector prototype utilizing ceramic GEM foils with an effective area of about307 mm×307 mm.To evaluate and investigate their basic characteristics,the Monte Carlo(MC)tool FLUKA was employed and several neutron beam tests were conducted at CSNS.The simulated spatial resolution was basically in agreement with the measured value of 2.50±0.01 mm(FWHM).The wavelength spectra measurement was verified through comparisons with a commercial beam monitor.In addition,a detection efficiency of 4.7±0.1%was achieved for monoenergetic neutrons of 1.59 A wavelength.This is consistent with the simulated result.The results indicate that the large-area ceramic GEM detector is a good candidate to implement neutron beam measurements.Its efficiency can be improved in a cascading manner to approach that reached by traditional^(3)He detectors.展开更多
Self-powered neutron detectors(SPNDs)play a critical role in monitoring the safety margins and overall health of reactors,directly affecting safe operation within the reactor.In this work,a novel fault identification ...Self-powered neutron detectors(SPNDs)play a critical role in monitoring the safety margins and overall health of reactors,directly affecting safe operation within the reactor.In this work,a novel fault identification method based on graph convolutional networks(GCN)and Stacking ensemble learning is proposed for SPNDs.The GCN is employed to extract the spatial neighborhood information of SPNDs at different positions,and residuals are obtained by nonlinear fitting of SPND signals.In order to completely extract the time-varying features from residual sequences,the Stacking fusion model,integrated with various algorithms,is developed and enables the identification of five conditions for SPNDs:normal,drift,bias,precision degradation,and complete failure.The results demonstrate that the integration of diverse base-learners in the GCN-Stacking model exhibits advantages over a single model as well as enhances the stability and reliability in fault identification.Additionally,the GCN-Stacking model maintains higher accuracy in identifying faults at different reactor power levels.展开更多
A time-of-flight Highly Granular Neutron Detector(HGND)with a multilayer longitudinal structure of interleaved absorber and scintillator plates,high transverse granularity,and time resolution of approximately 150 ps i...A time-of-flight Highly Granular Neutron Detector(HGND)with a multilayer longitudinal structure of interleaved absorber and scintillator plates,high transverse granularity,and time resolution of approximately 150 ps is currently under development.The detector is designed to identify neutrons produced in nucleus-nucleus collisions and measure neutron kinetic energies of 0.3-4 GeV by the time-of-flight method in the BM@N experiment at the NICA accelerator complex at JINR.To validate the concept of full-scale HGND,a compact HGND prototype was first designed and built,and its performance was studied in the BM@N experiment.The acceptance of the HGND prototype and the detection efficiency of forward neutrons emitted in hadronic fragmentation and electromagnetic dissociation(EMD)of 3.8A GeV124Xe projectiles interacting with a CsI target were calculated by means of the DCM-QGSM-SMM and RELDIS models,respectively.The energy distributions of the forward spectator neutrons and neutrons from the EMD were measured and compared with the simulations.The developed methods will be used to calibrate the full-scale HGND and study its efficiency.展开更多
The prompt fission neutron spectrum(PFNS)is a key nuclear data quantity that is of particular interest and plays a crucial role in understanding and modeling fission processes.An array comprising 48 liquid scintillati...The prompt fission neutron spectrum(PFNS)is a key nuclear data quantity that is of particular interest and plays a crucial role in understanding and modeling fission processes.An array comprising 48 liquid scintillation detectors and a parallelplate avalanche counter(PPAC)was developed at the China Institute of Atomic Energy(CIAE)to measure the PFNS of actinide nuclei.Efficiency and energy calibrations were performed for all the liquid scintillators,and their efficiencies were consistently found to be better than 5%.The time resolutions of the PPAC and liquid scintillators were measured to be 1.08 ns and 1.16 ns using~(252)Cf and~(207)Bi sources,respectively.The pulse shape discrimination of the liquid scintillator was utilized to identify neutron andγsignals on an event-by-event basis,and the figure of merit was deduced as 1.12 at a 200 ke Vee threshold.The contribution to the PFNS from multiple scattered neutrons was evaluated via Geant4 simulations,and those originating from the environment were found to be comparable to the crosstalk between the detectors.The neutron efficiency of the entire detection array was calibrated using a~(252)Cf spontaneous fission source and was demonstrated to be consistent with the Geant4 simulation results,which verified the reliability of the detection array.展开更多
The in-core self-powered neutron detector(SPND)acts as a key measuring device for the monitoring of parameters and evaluation of the operating conditions of nuclear reactors.Prompt detection and tolerance of faulty SP...The in-core self-powered neutron detector(SPND)acts as a key measuring device for the monitoring of parameters and evaluation of the operating conditions of nuclear reactors.Prompt detection and tolerance of faulty SPNDs are indispensable for reliable reactor management.To completely extract the correlated state information of SPNDs,we constructed a twin model based on a generalized regression neural network(GRNN)that represents the common relationships among overall signals.Faulty SPNDs were determined because of the functional concordance of the twin model and real monitoring sys-tems,which calculated the error probability distribution between the model outputs and real values.Fault detection follows a tolerance phase to reinforce the stability of the twin model in the case of massive failures.A weighted K-nearest neighbor model was employed to reasonably reconstruct the values of the faulty signals and guarantee data purity.The experimental evaluation of the proposed method showed promising results,with excellent output consistency and high detection accuracy for both single-and multiple-point faulty SPNDs.For unexpected excessive failures,the proposed tolerance approach can efficiently repair fault behaviors and enhance the prediction performance of the twin model.展开更多
A low-background neutron detector array was developed to measure the cross section of the ^(13)C(a,n)^(16)O reaction,which is the neutron source for the s-process in AGB stars,in the Gamow window(E_(c.m.)=190±40 ...A low-background neutron detector array was developed to measure the cross section of the ^(13)C(a,n)^(16)O reaction,which is the neutron source for the s-process in AGB stars,in the Gamow window(E_(c.m.)=190±40 keV)at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory(CJPL).The detector array consists of 24^(3)He proportional counters embedded in a polyethylene cube.Owing to the deep underground location and a borated polyethylene shield around the detector array,a low background of 4.5(2)/h was achieved.The ^(51)V(p,n)^(51)Cr reaction was used to determine the neutron detection efficiency of the array for neutrons with energies E_(n)<1 MeV.Geant4 simulations are shown to effectively reproduce the experimental results.They were used to extrapolate the detection efficiency to higher energies for neutrons emitted in the ^(13)C(α,n)^(16)O reaction.The theoretical angular distributions of the ^(13)C(α,n)^(16)O reaction were shown to be important in the estimation of the uncertainties of the detection efficiency.展开更多
The DArk Matter Particle Explorer(DAMPE),one of the four space-based scientific missions within the framework of the Strategic Pioneer Program on Space Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,was successfully launc...The DArk Matter Particle Explorer(DAMPE),one of the four space-based scientific missions within the framework of the Strategic Pioneer Program on Space Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,was successfully launched on 2015 Dec.17 from Jiuquan launch center.One of the most important scientific goals of DAMPE is to search for evidence of dark matter indirectly by measuring the spectrum of high energy cosmic-ray electrons.The neutron detector,one of the four sub-payloads of DAMPE,is designed to distinguish high energy electrons from hadron background by measuring the secondary neutrons produced in the shower.In this paper,a comprehensive introduction of the neutron detector is presented,including the design,calibration and performance.The analysis with simulated data and flight data indicates a powerful proton rejection capability of the neutron detector,which plays an essential role for TeV electron identification of DAMPE.展开更多
The fission electron-collection neutron detector （FECND） is a current-type neutron detector. Based on the analysis of the generation process of the gamma signals of the FECND, a mechanism utilizing symmetrical struc...The fission electron-collection neutron detector （FECND） is a current-type neutron detector. Based on the analysis of the generation process of the gamma signals of the FECND, a mechanism utilizing symmetrical structure is proposed and discussed to suppress the gamma signals. According to this mechanism, tile electrons generated from the gamma rays can be well compensated for by the adjustment of the electrodes＇ thickness and distance. In this study, based on the Monte-Carlo simulation of the gamma signals of the FECND, the varying patterns are obtained between the gamma signals and the detector parameter settings. As indicated by the simulation results, the gamma electrons can be compensated for completely by simply adjusting the coated electrode substrate thickness and distance. Moreover, with a proposed optimal parameter setting, the gamma sensitivity can be as low as 3.39×10-23 C.cm2, while the signal-to-noise ratio can be higher than 200：1. The compensation results of the γ-rays in the FECND will be slightly affected by the manufacturing error or the assembly error.展开更多
A single-crystal diamond detector is fabricated to diagnose 14.1 MeV deuterium-tritium(D-T)fusion neutrons.The size of its diamond film is 4.5 mm×4.5 mm×500μm.This film is sandwiched by a flat,strip-pattern...A single-crystal diamond detector is fabricated to diagnose 14.1 MeV deuterium-tritium(D-T)fusion neutrons.The size of its diamond film is 4.5 mm×4.5 mm×500μm.This film is sandwiched by a flat,strip-patterned gold electrode.The dark current of this detector is experimentally measured to be lower than 0.1 nA under an electric field of 30 kV cm^(-1).This diamond detector is used to measure D-T fusion neutrons with a flux of about 7.5×10^(5) s^(-1)cm^(-2).The pronounced peak with a central energy of 8.28 MeV characterizing the^(12)C(n,α)~9Be reaction in the neutron energy spectrum is experimentally diagnosed,and the energy resolution is better than 1.69%,which is the best result reported so far using a diamond detector.A clear peak with a central energy of 6.52 MeV characterizing the^(12)C(n,n')3αreaction is also identified with an energy resolution of better than 7.67%.展开更多
The energy-resolved neutron imaging spectrometer(ERNI)will be installed in 2022 according to the spectrometer construction plan of the China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS).The instrument requires neutron detectors wi...The energy-resolved neutron imaging spectrometer(ERNI)will be installed in 2022 according to the spectrometer construction plan of the China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS).The instrument requires neutron detectors with the coverage area of approximately 4 m^(2)in 5°-170°neutron diffraction angle.The neutron detection efficiency needs to be better than 40%at 1 A neutron wavelength.The spatial resolution should be better than 3 mm×50 mm in the horizontal and vertical directions respectively.We develop a one-dimensional scintillator neutron detector which is composed of the^(6)Li F/Zn S(Ag)scintillation screens,the wavelength-shifting fiber(WLSF)array,the silicon photomultipliers(Si PMs),and the self-designed application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC)readout electronics.The pixel size of the detector is designed as 3 mm×50 mm,and the neutron-sensitive area is 50 mm×200 mm.The performance of the detector prototype is measured using neutron beam 20#of the CSNS.The maximum counting rate of 247 k Hz,and the detection efficiency of63%at 1.59 A are obtained.The test results show that the performance of the detector fulfills the physical requirements of the ERNI under construction at the CSNS.展开更多
Chinese Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS) has successfully produced its first neutron beam in 28th August 2017. It has been running steadily from March, 2018. According to the construction plan, the engineering material...Chinese Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS) has successfully produced its first neutron beam in 28th August 2017. It has been running steadily from March, 2018. According to the construction plan, the engineering materials diffractometer(EMD) will be installed between 2019–2023. This instrument requires the neutron detectors with the cover area near3 m2in two 90° neutron diffraction angle positions, the neutron detecting efficiency is better than 40%@1A, and the spatial resolution is better than 4 mm×200 mm in horizontal and vertical directions respectively. We have developed a onedimensional position-sensitive neutron detector based on the oblique6Li F/Zn S(Ag) scintillators, wavelength shifting fibers,and Si PMs(silicon photomultipliers) readout. The inhomogeneity of the neutron detection efficiency between each pixel and each detector module, which caused by the inconsistency of the wave-length shifting fibers in collecting scintillation photons, needs to be mitigated before the installation. A performance optimization experiment of the detector modules was carried out on the BL20(beam line 20) of CSNS. Using water sample, the neutron beam with Φ5 mm exit hole was dispersed related evenly into the forward space. According to the neutron counts of each pixel of the detector module, the readout electronics threshold of each pixel is adjusted. Compared with the unadjusted detector module, the inhomogeneity of the detection efficiency for the adjusted one has been improved from 69% to 90%. The test result of the diffraction peak of the standard sample Si showed that the adjusted detector module works well.展开更多
In recent years,gas electron multiplier(GEM)neutron detectors have been developing towards high spatial resolution and high dynamic counting range.We propose a novel concept of an Al stopping layer to enable the detec...In recent years,gas electron multiplier(GEM)neutron detectors have been developing towards high spatial resolution and high dynamic counting range.We propose a novel concept of an Al stopping layer to enable the detector to achieve sub-millimeter(sub-mm)spatial resolution.The neutron conversion layer is coated with the Al stopping layer to limit the emission angle of ions into the drift region.The short track projection of ions is obtained on the signal readout board,and the detector would get good spatial resolution.The spatial resolutions of the GEM neutron detector with the Al stopping layer are simulated and optimized based on Geant4 Garfield Interface.The spatial resolution of the detector is 0.76 mm and the thermal neutron detection efficiency is about 0.01%when the Al stopping layer is 3.0μm thick,the drift region is 2 mm thick,the strip pitch is 600μm,and the digital readout is employed.Thus,the GEM neutron detector with a simple detector structure and a fast readout mode is developed to obtain a high spatial resolution and high dynamic counting range.It could be used for the direct measurement of a high-flux neutron beam,such as Bragg transmission imaging,very small-angle scattering neutron detection and neutron beam diagnostic.展开更多
A detector for fast neutrons based on a 10 × 10 cm^2 triple gas electron multiplier （GEM） device is developed and tested. A neutron converter, which is a high density polyethylene （HDPE） layer, is combined wi...A detector for fast neutrons based on a 10 × 10 cm^2 triple gas electron multiplier （GEM） device is developed and tested. A neutron converter, which is a high density polyethylene （HDPE） layer, is combined with the triple GEM detector cathode and placed inside the detector, in the path of the incident neutrons. The detector is tested by obtaining the energy deposition spectrum with an Am Be neutron source in the Institute of Modern Physics （IMP） at Lanzhou. In the present work we report the results of the tests and compare them with those of simulations. The transport of fast neutrons and their interactions with the different materials in the detector are simulated with the GEANT4 code, to understand the experimental results. The detector displays a clear response to the incident fast neutrons. However, an unexpected disagreement in the energy dependence of the response between the simulated and measured spectra is observed. The neutron sources used in our simulation include deuterium-tritium （DT, 14 MeV）, deuterium-deuterium （DD, 2.45 MeV）, and Am Be sources. The simulation results also show that among the secondary particles generated by the incident neutron, the main contributions to the total energy deposition are from recoil protons induced in hydrogen-rich HDPE or Kapton （GEM material）, and activation photons induced by neutron interaction with Ar atoms. Their contributions account for 90% of the total energy deposition. In addition, the dependence of neutron deposited energy spectrum on the composition of the gas mixture is presented.展开更多
Nowadays,the superior detection performance of semiconductor neutron detectors is a challenging task.In this paper,we deal with a novel GaN micro-structured neutron detector(GaN-MSND)and compare three different method...Nowadays,the superior detection performance of semiconductor neutron detectors is a challenging task.In this paper,we deal with a novel GaN micro-structured neutron detector(GaN-MSND)and compare three different methods such as the method of modulating the trench depth,the method of introducing dielectric layer and p-type inversion region to improve the width of depletion region(W).It is observed that the intensity of electric field can be modulated by scaling the trench depth.On the other hand,the electron blocking region is formed in the detector enveloped with a dielectric layer.Furthermore,the introducing of p-type inversion region produces new p/n junction,which not only promotes the further expansion of the depletion region but also reduces the intensity of electric field produced by main junction.It can be realized that all these methods can considerably enhance the working voltage as well as W.Of them,the improvement on W of GaN-MSND with the p-type inversion region is the most significant and the value of W could reach 12.8μm when the carrier concentration of p-type inversion region is 10^17 cm^-3.Consequently,the value of W is observed to improve 200%for the designed GaN-MSND as compared with that without additional design.This work ensures to the researchers and scientific community the fabrication of GaN-MSND having superior detection limit in the field of intense radiation.展开更多
Geant4 based Monte Carlo study has been carried out to assess the improvement in efficiency of the planar structure of Silicon Carbide(SiC)-based semiconductor fast neutron detector with the stacked structure. A proto...Geant4 based Monte Carlo study has been carried out to assess the improvement in efficiency of the planar structure of Silicon Carbide(SiC)-based semiconductor fast neutron detector with the stacked structure. A proton recoil detector was simulated, which consists of hydrogenous converter, i.e., high-density polyethylene(HDPE) for generating recoil protons by means of neutron elastic scattering(n, p) reaction and semiconductor material SiC, for generating a detectable electrical signal upon transport of recoil protons through it. SiC is considered in order to overcome the various factors associated with conventional Si-based devices such as operability in a harsh radiation environment, as often encountered in nuclear facilities. Converter layer thickness is optimized by considering 10~9 neutron events of different monoenergetic neutron sources as well as ^(241)Am-Be neutron spectrum. It is found that the optimized thickness for neutron energy range of 1–10 MeV is ~400 μm. However, the efficiency of fast neutron detection is estimated to be only 0.112%,which is considered very low for meaningful and reliable detection of neutrons. To overcome this problem, a stacked juxtaposition of converter layer between SiC layers has been analyzed in order to achieve high efficiency. It is noted that a tenfold efficiency improvement has been obtained—1.04% for 10 layers stacked configuration vis-à-vis 0.112% of single converter layer detector. Further simulation of the stacked detector with respect to variable converter thickness has been performed to achieve the efficiency as high as ~3.85% with up to 50 stacks.展开更多
We develop a kind of neutron detector, which consists of a polyethylene thin film and two PIN semicon- ductors connected face-to-face. The detector is insensitive to γ-rays. Its sensitivity to neutron has been calcul...We develop a kind of neutron detector, which consists of a polyethylene thin film and two PIN semicon- ductors connected face-to-face. The detector is insensitive to γ-rays. Its sensitivity to neutron has been calculated with MCNP program and calibrated by experiments, and the results indicate that the neutron sensitivity of the compensa- tion detector will vary with polyethylene converter. The compensation PIN detector can be employed to measure pulse neutron in neutron and gamma mixture radiation field.展开更多
Semiconductor-based neutron-detectors are characterized by small size, high energy-resolution, good spatial resolution, and stable response(at the depletion voltage). Consequently, these neutron-detectors are importan...Semiconductor-based neutron-detectors are characterized by small size, high energy-resolution, good spatial resolution, and stable response(at the depletion voltage). Consequently, these neutron-detectors are important for the fields of nuclear proliferation prevention, oil exploration, monitoring neutron-scattering experiments, cancer treatments, and space radiation effect research. However, there are some well-known problems for conventional silicon-based neutron detectors: low neutron-detection efficiency and limited resistance to radiation. Therefore, critical improvements are needed to enable sufficiently effective and practical neutron detection. To address these problems, direct-conversion neutron detectors as well as wide bandgap semiconductor-based detectors have been developed and studied intensely during the past years. Significant progress with respect to detection efficiency, radiation resistance, and room temperature operation was achieved. This paper reviews the latest research highlights, remaining challenges, and emerging technologies of direct-conversion neutron detectors as well as wide-bandgap semiconductor neutron detectors. This compact review serves as a reference for researchers interested in the design and development of improved neutron detectors in the future.展开更多
A simulation of the properties of the shifting scintillator neutron detector using 6LiF/ZnS(Ag) scintillation screens is performed.The simulation results show that the light attenuation length of standard BC704 scinti...A simulation of the properties of the shifting scintillator neutron detector using 6LiF/ZnS(Ag) scintillation screens is performed.The simulation results show that the light attenuation length of standard BC704 scintillator is about 0.65 mm.Its thermal neutron detection efficiency,gamma sensitivity and intrinsic spatial resolution can achieve around 50.0%,10 5and 0.18 mm(along X-axis) respectively.For the detector,air coupling position resolution is better than the silicone oil coupling.Some of the simulation results are compared with experimental results.They are in agreement.This work will be helpful for constructing neutron detector for high intensity powder diffractometer at Chinese spallation neutron source.展开更多
A 2D neutron detector based on 3He convertor and MWPC with an active area of 200 mmx200 mm has been successfully designed and fabricated. The detector has been tested with Am/Be neutron source and with collimated neut...A 2D neutron detector based on 3He convertor and MWPC with an active area of 200 mmx200 mm has been successfully designed and fabricated. The detector has been tested with Am/Be neutron source and with collimated neutron beam with the wavelength of λ=1.37A. The best spatial resolution of 1.18 mm （FWHM） and good linearity were obtained. This is in good agreement with theoretical calculations.展开更多
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 12275181)Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (Grant No. 2022B1515120071)+1 种基金Promotion Project of Scientific Research Capability of Key Construction Disciplines in Guangdong Province (Grant No. 2022ZDJS118)Natural Science Foundation of Top Talent SZTU (Grant No. GDRC202205)。
文摘Position-sensitive neutron detectors play an important role in neutron scattering studies. Detectors based on ~6LiF/ZnS(Ag) scintillator and wave-shifting fiber have the advantages of high neutron detection efficiency, high position resolution,and large-area splicing, and can well meet the requirement of large area neutron detection for neutron diffractometers. An engineering detector prototype based on a ~6LiF/ZnS(Ag) scintillation screen and SiPM array readout was fabricated for the General Purpose Powder Diffractometer of China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS). The detector has an active area of 196 mm × 444 mm, with a pixel size of 4 mm × 4 mm. The key performances of the detector prototype were tested at the BL20 neutron beam line of CSNS. The test results show that the neutron detection efficiency of the detector was 32% and 42% at wavelengths of 1.4 ? and 2.8 ?, respectively. An interpolated neutron detection efficiency of 40.2% at a wavelength of 2 ? was obtained. The tested neutron efficiency non-uniformity of the detector was 10.2%, which is less than one-half that of the current general purpose powder diffractometer scintillator neutron detectors at CSNS. This work achieves, for the first time, an efficiency uniformity of < 11% in large-area mosaic neutron detectors, alongside significant advancements in electromagnetic interference immunity and cost-effectiveness.
基金Project supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(Grant No.2023YFC2206502)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.12175254 and 12227810)+1 种基金Guangdong Major Project of Basic and Applied Basic Research(Grant No.2023B0303000003)Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Particle Detection Technology(Grant No.2024B1212010005)。
文摘The rapid growth of neutron flux has driven the development of^(3)He-free neutron detectors to satisfy the requirements of the neutron scattering instruments under construction or planned at the China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS).Position-sensitive neutron detectors with a high counting rate and large area play an important role in the instruments performing neutron measurements in or close to the direct beam.The ceramic gas-electron-multiplier(GEM)detector serves as a promising solution,and considerable work has been done using the small-area GEM neutron detectors.In this article,we designed and constructed a detector prototype utilizing ceramic GEM foils with an effective area of about307 mm×307 mm.To evaluate and investigate their basic characteristics,the Monte Carlo(MC)tool FLUKA was employed and several neutron beam tests were conducted at CSNS.The simulated spatial resolution was basically in agreement with the measured value of 2.50±0.01 mm(FWHM).The wavelength spectra measurement was verified through comparisons with a commercial beam monitor.In addition,a detection efficiency of 4.7±0.1%was achieved for monoenergetic neutrons of 1.59 A wavelength.This is consistent with the simulated result.The results indicate that the large-area ceramic GEM detector is a good candidate to implement neutron beam measurements.Its efficiency can be improved in a cascading manner to approach that reached by traditional^(3)He detectors.
基金the Industry-University Cooperation Project in Fujian Province University(No.2022H6020)。
文摘Self-powered neutron detectors(SPNDs)play a critical role in monitoring the safety margins and overall health of reactors,directly affecting safe operation within the reactor.In this work,a novel fault identification method based on graph convolutional networks(GCN)and Stacking ensemble learning is proposed for SPNDs.The GCN is employed to extract the spatial neighborhood information of SPNDs at different positions,and residuals are obtained by nonlinear fitting of SPND signals.In order to completely extract the time-varying features from residual sequences,the Stacking fusion model,integrated with various algorithms,is developed and enables the identification of five conditions for SPNDs:normal,drift,bias,precision degradation,and complete failure.The results demonstrate that the integration of diverse base-learners in the GCN-Stacking model exhibits advantages over a single model as well as enhances the stability and reliability in fault identification.Additionally,the GCN-Stacking model maintains higher accuracy in identifying faults at different reactor power levels.
基金supported by the Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences。
文摘A time-of-flight Highly Granular Neutron Detector(HGND)with a multilayer longitudinal structure of interleaved absorber and scintillator plates,high transverse granularity,and time resolution of approximately 150 ps is currently under development.The detector is designed to identify neutrons produced in nucleus-nucleus collisions and measure neutron kinetic energies of 0.3-4 GeV by the time-of-flight method in the BM@N experiment at the NICA accelerator complex at JINR.To validate the concept of full-scale HGND,a compact HGND prototype was first designed and built,and its performance was studied in the BM@N experiment.The acceptance of the HGND prototype and the detection efficiency of forward neutrons emitted in hadronic fragmentation and electromagnetic dissociation(EMD)of 3.8A GeV124Xe projectiles interacting with a CsI target were calculated by means of the DCM-QGSM-SMM and RELDIS models,respectively.The energy distributions of the forward spectator neutrons and neutrons from the EMD were measured and compared with the simulations.The developed methods will be used to calibrate the full-scale HGND and study its efficiency.
基金supported by Continuous-Support Basic Scientific Research Project(No.BJ010261223282)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.U2167201,11975318)+2 种基金the State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and TechnologyPeking University(No.NPT2023KFY01)the Research and Development Project of China National Nuclear Corporation。
文摘The prompt fission neutron spectrum(PFNS)is a key nuclear data quantity that is of particular interest and plays a crucial role in understanding and modeling fission processes.An array comprising 48 liquid scintillation detectors and a parallelplate avalanche counter(PPAC)was developed at the China Institute of Atomic Energy(CIAE)to measure the PFNS of actinide nuclei.Efficiency and energy calibrations were performed for all the liquid scintillators,and their efficiencies were consistently found to be better than 5%.The time resolutions of the PPAC and liquid scintillators were measured to be 1.08 ns and 1.16 ns using~(252)Cf and~(207)Bi sources,respectively.The pulse shape discrimination of the liquid scintillator was utilized to identify neutron andγsignals on an event-by-event basis,and the figure of merit was deduced as 1.12 at a 200 ke Vee threshold.The contribution to the PFNS from multiple scattered neutrons was evaluated via Geant4 simulations,and those originating from the environment were found to be comparable to the crosstalk between the detectors.The neutron efficiency of the entire detection array was calibrated using a~(252)Cf spontaneous fission source and was demonstrated to be consistent with the Geant4 simulation results,which verified the reliability of the detection array.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province,China(No.2022J01566).
文摘The in-core self-powered neutron detector(SPND)acts as a key measuring device for the monitoring of parameters and evaluation of the operating conditions of nuclear reactors.Prompt detection and tolerance of faulty SPNDs are indispensable for reliable reactor management.To completely extract the correlated state information of SPNDs,we constructed a twin model based on a generalized regression neural network(GRNN)that represents the common relationships among overall signals.Faulty SPNDs were determined because of the functional concordance of the twin model and real monitoring sys-tems,which calculated the error probability distribution between the model outputs and real values.Fault detection follows a tolerance phase to reinforce the stability of the twin model in the case of massive failures.A weighted K-nearest neighbor model was employed to reasonably reconstruct the values of the faulty signals and guarantee data purity.The experimental evaluation of the proposed method showed promising results,with excellent output consistency and high detection accuracy for both single-and multiple-point faulty SPNDs.For unexpected excessive failures,the proposed tolerance approach can efficiently repair fault behaviors and enhance the prediction performance of the twin model.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.11490564 and 11805138).
文摘A low-background neutron detector array was developed to measure the cross section of the ^(13)C(a,n)^(16)O reaction,which is the neutron source for the s-process in AGB stars,in the Gamow window(E_(c.m.)=190±40 keV)at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory(CJPL).The detector array consists of 24^(3)He proportional counters embedded in a polyethylene cube.Owing to the deep underground location and a borated polyethylene shield around the detector array,a low background of 4.5(2)/h was achieved.The ^(51)V(p,n)^(51)Cr reaction was used to determine the neutron detection efficiency of the array for neutrons with energies E_(n)<1 MeV.Geant4 simulations are shown to effectively reproduce the experimental results.They were used to extrapolate the detection efficiency to higher energies for neutrons emitted in the ^(13)C(α,n)^(16)O reaction.The theoretical angular distributions of the ^(13)C(α,n)^(16)O reaction were shown to be important in the estimation of the uncertainties of the detection efficiency.
基金the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2016YFA0400201)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.11622327,11273070,11673075,U1738205,U1738121,U1738207,U1531126,11873021,11773085 and 11873020)Space Science Mission Concept Research of Strategic Priority Research Program in Space Science of Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.XDA15007114)。
文摘The DArk Matter Particle Explorer(DAMPE),one of the four space-based scientific missions within the framework of the Strategic Pioneer Program on Space Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,was successfully launched on 2015 Dec.17 from Jiuquan launch center.One of the most important scientific goals of DAMPE is to search for evidence of dark matter indirectly by measuring the spectrum of high energy cosmic-ray electrons.The neutron detector,one of the four sub-payloads of DAMPE,is designed to distinguish high energy electrons from hadron background by measuring the secondary neutrons produced in the shower.In this paper,a comprehensive introduction of the neutron detector is presented,including the design,calibration and performance.The analysis with simulated data and flight data indicates a powerful proton rejection capability of the neutron detector,which plays an essential role for TeV electron identification of DAMPE.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No 11205141the Science and Technology Foundation of China Academy of Engineering Physics under Grant No 2012B0103003
文摘The fission electron-collection neutron detector （FECND） is a current-type neutron detector. Based on the analysis of the generation process of the gamma signals of the FECND, a mechanism utilizing symmetrical structure is proposed and discussed to suppress the gamma signals. According to this mechanism, tile electrons generated from the gamma rays can be well compensated for by the adjustment of the electrodes＇ thickness and distance. In this study, based on the Monte-Carlo simulation of the gamma signals of the FECND, the varying patterns are obtained between the gamma signals and the detector parameter settings. As indicated by the simulation results, the gamma electrons can be compensated for completely by simply adjusting the coated electrode substrate thickness and distance. Moreover, with a proposed optimal parameter setting, the gamma sensitivity can be as low as 3.39×10-23 C.cm2, while the signal-to-noise ratio can be higher than 200：1. The compensation results of the γ-rays in the FECND will be slightly affected by the manufacturing error or the assembly error.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.12075241)。
文摘A single-crystal diamond detector is fabricated to diagnose 14.1 MeV deuterium-tritium(D-T)fusion neutrons.The size of its diamond film is 4.5 mm×4.5 mm×500μm.This film is sandwiched by a flat,strip-patterned gold electrode.The dark current of this detector is experimentally measured to be lower than 0.1 nA under an electric field of 30 kV cm^(-1).This diamond detector is used to measure D-T fusion neutrons with a flux of about 7.5×10^(5) s^(-1)cm^(-2).The pronounced peak with a central energy of 8.28 MeV characterizing the^(12)C(n,α)~9Be reaction in the neutron energy spectrum is experimentally diagnosed,and the energy resolution is better than 1.69%,which is the best result reported so far using a diamond detector.A clear peak with a central energy of 6.52 MeV characterizing the^(12)C(n,n')3αreaction is also identified with an energy resolution of better than 7.67%.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.11875273,U1832111,61964001,and 12275049)the Science Foundation of Guangdong Province of China(Grant No.2020B1515120025)+3 种基金the Neutron Physics Laboratory Funding of China Academy of Engineering Physics(Grant No.2018BC03)the General Project of Jiangxi Province Key Research and Development Program(Grant No.20212BBG73012)the Key Scientific Research Projects of Henan Higher Education Institutions(Grant Nos.23A490002 and 24A490001)the Engineering Research Center of Nuclear Technology Application(Grant No.HJSJYB2021-4)。
文摘The energy-resolved neutron imaging spectrometer(ERNI)will be installed in 2022 according to the spectrometer construction plan of the China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS).The instrument requires neutron detectors with the coverage area of approximately 4 m^(2)in 5°-170°neutron diffraction angle.The neutron detection efficiency needs to be better than 40%at 1 A neutron wavelength.The spatial resolution should be better than 3 mm×50 mm in the horizontal and vertical directions respectively.We develop a one-dimensional scintillator neutron detector which is composed of the^(6)Li F/Zn S(Ag)scintillation screens,the wavelength-shifting fiber(WLSF)array,the silicon photomultipliers(Si PMs),and the self-designed application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC)readout electronics.The pixel size of the detector is designed as 3 mm×50 mm,and the neutron-sensitive area is 50 mm×200 mm.The performance of the detector prototype is measured using neutron beam 20#of the CSNS.The maximum counting rate of 247 k Hz,and the detection efficiency of63%at 1.59 A are obtained.The test results show that the performance of the detector fulfills the physical requirements of the ERNI under construction at the CSNS.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11975255 and 11875273)Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (Grant No. 2020B1515120025)。
文摘Chinese Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS) has successfully produced its first neutron beam in 28th August 2017. It has been running steadily from March, 2018. According to the construction plan, the engineering materials diffractometer(EMD) will be installed between 2019–2023. This instrument requires the neutron detectors with the cover area near3 m2in two 90° neutron diffraction angle positions, the neutron detecting efficiency is better than 40%@1A, and the spatial resolution is better than 4 mm×200 mm in horizontal and vertical directions respectively. We have developed a onedimensional position-sensitive neutron detector based on the oblique6Li F/Zn S(Ag) scintillators, wavelength shifting fibers,and Si PMs(silicon photomultipliers) readout. The inhomogeneity of the neutron detection efficiency between each pixel and each detector module, which caused by the inconsistency of the wave-length shifting fibers in collecting scintillation photons, needs to be mitigated before the installation. A performance optimization experiment of the detector modules was carried out on the BL20(beam line 20) of CSNS. Using water sample, the neutron beam with Φ5 mm exit hole was dispersed related evenly into the forward space. According to the neutron counts of each pixel of the detector module, the readout electronics threshold of each pixel is adjusted. Compared with the unadjusted detector module, the inhomogeneity of the detection efficiency for the adjusted one has been improved from 69% to 90%. The test result of the diffraction peak of the standard sample Si showed that the adjusted detector module works well.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(Grant No.2017YFA0403702)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.11574123,11775243,12175254,and U2032166)+1 种基金Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS and Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(Grant No.2019A1515110217)the Xie Jialin Foundation,China(Grant No.E1546FU2)。
文摘In recent years,gas electron multiplier(GEM)neutron detectors have been developing towards high spatial resolution and high dynamic counting range.We propose a novel concept of an Al stopping layer to enable the detector to achieve sub-millimeter(sub-mm)spatial resolution.The neutron conversion layer is coated with the Al stopping layer to limit the emission angle of ions into the drift region.The short track projection of ions is obtained on the signal readout board,and the detector would get good spatial resolution.The spatial resolutions of the GEM neutron detector with the Al stopping layer are simulated and optimized based on Geant4 Garfield Interface.The spatial resolution of the detector is 0.76 mm and the thermal neutron detection efficiency is about 0.01%when the Al stopping layer is 3.0μm thick,the drift region is 2 mm thick,the strip pitch is 600μm,and the digital readout is employed.Thus,the GEM neutron detector with a simple detector structure and a fast readout mode is developed to obtain a high spatial resolution and high dynamic counting range.It could be used for the direct measurement of a high-flux neutron beam,such as Bragg transmission imaging,very small-angle scattering neutron detection and neutron beam diagnostic.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos 11135002,11305232 and 11175076the Foundation of China Spallation Neutron Source:Study and Development of the High-performance and Low-angle Detector
文摘A detector for fast neutrons based on a 10 × 10 cm^2 triple gas electron multiplier （GEM） device is developed and tested. A neutron converter, which is a high density polyethylene （HDPE） layer, is combined with the triple GEM detector cathode and placed inside the detector, in the path of the incident neutrons. The detector is tested by obtaining the energy deposition spectrum with an Am Be neutron source in the Institute of Modern Physics （IMP） at Lanzhou. In the present work we report the results of the tests and compare them with those of simulations. The transport of fast neutrons and their interactions with the different materials in the detector are simulated with the GEANT4 code, to understand the experimental results. The detector displays a clear response to the incident fast neutrons. However, an unexpected disagreement in the energy dependence of the response between the simulated and measured spectra is observed. The neutron sources used in our simulation include deuterium-tritium （DT, 14 MeV）, deuterium-deuterium （DD, 2.45 MeV）, and Am Be sources. The simulation results also show that among the secondary particles generated by the incident neutron, the main contributions to the total energy deposition are from recoil protons induced in hydrogen-rich HDPE or Kapton （GEM material）, and activation photons induced by neutron interaction with Ar atoms. Their contributions account for 90% of the total energy deposition. In addition, the dependence of neutron deposited energy spectrum on the composition of the gas mixture is presented.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.11675198,11875097,11975257,61774072,61574026,and 61971090)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant Nos.2016YFB0400600 and2016YFB0400601)+2 种基金the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,China(Grant No.DUT19LK45)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(Grant No.2016M591434)the Science and Technology Plan of Dalian City,China(Grant No.2018J12GX060).
文摘Nowadays,the superior detection performance of semiconductor neutron detectors is a challenging task.In this paper,we deal with a novel GaN micro-structured neutron detector(GaN-MSND)and compare three different methods such as the method of modulating the trench depth,the method of introducing dielectric layer and p-type inversion region to improve the width of depletion region(W).It is observed that the intensity of electric field can be modulated by scaling the trench depth.On the other hand,the electron blocking region is formed in the detector enveloped with a dielectric layer.Furthermore,the introducing of p-type inversion region produces new p/n junction,which not only promotes the further expansion of the depletion region but also reduces the intensity of electric field produced by main junction.It can be realized that all these methods can considerably enhance the working voltage as well as W.Of them,the improvement on W of GaN-MSND with the p-type inversion region is the most significant and the value of W could reach 12.8μm when the carrier concentration of p-type inversion region is 10^17 cm^-3.Consequently,the value of W is observed to improve 200%for the designed GaN-MSND as compared with that without additional design.This work ensures to the researchers and scientific community the fabrication of GaN-MSND having superior detection limit in the field of intense radiation.
基金supported by the grant of a research fellowship from Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research,Department of Atomic Energy,India
文摘Geant4 based Monte Carlo study has been carried out to assess the improvement in efficiency of the planar structure of Silicon Carbide(SiC)-based semiconductor fast neutron detector with the stacked structure. A proton recoil detector was simulated, which consists of hydrogenous converter, i.e., high-density polyethylene(HDPE) for generating recoil protons by means of neutron elastic scattering(n, p) reaction and semiconductor material SiC, for generating a detectable electrical signal upon transport of recoil protons through it. SiC is considered in order to overcome the various factors associated with conventional Si-based devices such as operability in a harsh radiation environment, as often encountered in nuclear facilities. Converter layer thickness is optimized by considering 10~9 neutron events of different monoenergetic neutron sources as well as ^(241)Am-Be neutron spectrum. It is found that the optimized thickness for neutron energy range of 1–10 MeV is ~400 μm. However, the efficiency of fast neutron detection is estimated to be only 0.112%,which is considered very low for meaningful and reliable detection of neutrons. To overcome this problem, a stacked juxtaposition of converter layer between SiC layers has been analyzed in order to achieve high efficiency. It is noted that a tenfold efficiency improvement has been obtained—1.04% for 10 layers stacked configuration vis-à-vis 0.112% of single converter layer detector. Further simulation of the stacked detector with respect to variable converter thickness has been performed to achieve the efficiency as high as ~3.85% with up to 50 stacks.
文摘We develop a kind of neutron detector, which consists of a polyethylene thin film and two PIN semicon- ductors connected face-to-face. The detector is insensitive to γ-rays. Its sensitivity to neutron has been calculated with MCNP program and calibrated by experiments, and the results indicate that the neutron sensitivity of the compensa- tion detector will vary with polyethylene converter. The compensation PIN detector can be employed to measure pulse neutron in neutron and gamma mixture radiation field.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11922507, and 12050005)Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (Grant No. 2021YFB3201000)Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No.2021NTST14)。
文摘Semiconductor-based neutron-detectors are characterized by small size, high energy-resolution, good spatial resolution, and stable response(at the depletion voltage). Consequently, these neutron-detectors are important for the fields of nuclear proliferation prevention, oil exploration, monitoring neutron-scattering experiments, cancer treatments, and space radiation effect research. However, there are some well-known problems for conventional silicon-based neutron detectors: low neutron-detection efficiency and limited resistance to radiation. Therefore, critical improvements are needed to enable sufficiently effective and practical neutron detection. To address these problems, direct-conversion neutron detectors as well as wide bandgap semiconductor-based detectors have been developed and studied intensely during the past years. Significant progress with respect to detection efficiency, radiation resistance, and room temperature operation was achieved. This paper reviews the latest research highlights, remaining challenges, and emerging technologies of direct-conversion neutron detectors as well as wide-bandgap semiconductor neutron detectors. This compact review serves as a reference for researchers interested in the design and development of improved neutron detectors in the future.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.11175257)
文摘A simulation of the properties of the shifting scintillator neutron detector using 6LiF/ZnS(Ag) scintillation screens is performed.The simulation results show that the light attenuation length of standard BC704 scintillator is about 0.65 mm.Its thermal neutron detection efficiency,gamma sensitivity and intrinsic spatial resolution can achieve around 50.0%,10 5and 0.18 mm(along X-axis) respectively.For the detector,air coupling position resolution is better than the silicone oil coupling.Some of the simulation results are compared with experimental results.They are in agreement.This work will be helpful for constructing neutron detector for high intensity powder diffractometer at Chinese spallation neutron source.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.11127508)
文摘A 2D neutron detector based on 3He convertor and MWPC with an active area of 200 mmx200 mm has been successfully designed and fabricated. The detector has been tested with Am/Be neutron source and with collimated neutron beam with the wavelength of λ=1.37A. The best spatial resolution of 1.18 mm （FWHM） and good linearity were obtained. This is in good agreement with theoretical calculations.
