A detector for neutron imaging

Charles L. Britton; William L. Bryan; Alan L. Wintenberg; Robert J. Warmack; Timothy E. McKnight; Shane S. Frank; Ronald G. Cooper; Nancy J. Dudney; Gabriel M. Veith; Andrew C. Stephan

doi:10.1109/TNS.2004.829660

A detector for neutron imaging

Charles L. Britton, William L. Bryan, Alan L. Wintenberg, Robert J. Warmack, Timothy E. McKnight, Shane S. Frank, Ronald G. Cooper, Nancy J. Dudney, Gabriel M. Veith, Andrew C. Stephan

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

A bright neutron source such as the spallation neutron source (SNS) places extreme requirements on detectors including excellent 2-D spatial imaging and high dynamic range. Present imaging detectors have either shown position resolutions that are less than acceptable or they exhibit excessive paralyzing dead times due to the brightness of the source. A detector concept known as MicroMegas (MicroMEsh GAseous Structure) has been developed at CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, for high-energy physics charged-particle tracking applications and has shown great promise for handling high data rates with a rather low-cost structure. We are attempting to optimize the MicroMegas detector concept for thermal neutrons and have designed a 1-D neutron strip detector utilizing solid converters which we have tested. In addition, we are performing research into the compatibility of various converter coatings. Our goal is to develop a manufacturable detector that could be scaled to a 1 m², 2-D array for use at the SNS and other facilities.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1016-1019
Number of pages	4
Journal	IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science
Volume	51
Issue number	3 III
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/TNS.2004.829660
State	Published - Jun 2004

Funding

Manuscript received October 20, 2003; revised March 3, 2004. This research is sponsored by the LDRD program at ORNL #D03-084 FY2003, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract for the U.S. Department of Energy. C. L. Britton, Jr., W. L. Bryan, A. L. Wintenberg, R. J. Warmack, T. E. McKnight, S. S. Frank, N. J. Dudney, and G. M. Veith are with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6006 USA (e-mail: [email protected]). R. G. Cooper is with the Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge, TN 37830 USA (e-mail: [email protected]). A. C. Stephan is with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37916 USA (e-mail: [email protected]). Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TNS.2004.829660 Fig. 1. Neutron detector concept. When the incident neutron or neutrons interact with the converter, charged particles are emitted. Particles emitted into the gas will generate electrons which drift toward the micromesh in the conversion gap and are then multiplied in the amplification gap.

Funders	Funder number
UT-Battelle
U.S. Department of Energy
Oak Ridge National Laboratory	03-084 FY2003
Laboratory Directed Research and Development

Keywords

Neutrons
Radiation detector

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10.1109/TNS.2004.829660

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title = "A detector for neutron imaging",

abstract = "A bright neutron source such as the spallation neutron source (SNS) places extreme requirements on detectors including excellent 2-D spatial imaging and high dynamic range. Present imaging detectors have either shown position resolutions that are less than acceptable or they exhibit excessive paralyzing dead times due to the brightness of the source. A detector concept known as MicroMegas (MicroMEsh GAseous Structure) has been developed at CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, for high-energy physics charged-particle tracking applications and has shown great promise for handling high data rates with a rather low-cost structure. We are attempting to optimize the MicroMegas detector concept for thermal neutrons and have designed a 1-D neutron strip detector utilizing solid converters which we have tested. In addition, we are performing research into the compatibility of various converter coatings. Our goal is to develop a manufacturable detector that could be scaled to a 1 m2, 2-D array for use at the SNS and other facilities.",

keywords = "Neutrons, Radiation detector",

author = "Britton, {Charles L.} and Bryan, {William L.} and Wintenberg, {Alan L.} and Warmack, {Robert J.} and McKnight, {Timothy E.} and Frank, {Shane S.} and Cooper, {Ronald G.} and Dudney, {Nancy J.} and Veith, {Gabriel M.} and Stephan, {Andrew C.}",

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AU - Wintenberg, Alan L.

AU - Warmack, Robert J.

AU - McKnight, Timothy E.

AU - Frank, Shane S.

AU - Cooper, Ronald G.

AU - Dudney, Nancy J.

AU - Veith, Gabriel M.

AU - Stephan, Andrew C.

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AB - A bright neutron source such as the spallation neutron source (SNS) places extreme requirements on detectors including excellent 2-D spatial imaging and high dynamic range. Present imaging detectors have either shown position resolutions that are less than acceptable or they exhibit excessive paralyzing dead times due to the brightness of the source. A detector concept known as MicroMegas (MicroMEsh GAseous Structure) has been developed at CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, for high-energy physics charged-particle tracking applications and has shown great promise for handling high data rates with a rather low-cost structure. We are attempting to optimize the MicroMegas detector concept for thermal neutrons and have designed a 1-D neutron strip detector utilizing solid converters which we have tested. In addition, we are performing research into the compatibility of various converter coatings. Our goal is to develop a manufacturable detector that could be scaled to a 1 m2, 2-D array for use at the SNS and other facilities.

KW - Neutrons

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A detector for neutron imaging

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