Initial Characterization of a Pixelated Thermal-Neutron Detector

The purpose of this project was to develop a better understanding of the re- sponse of a pixelated thermal-neutron detector, which will be used as a thermal- neutron detector at one of the beam lines at the European Spallation Source in Lund, Sweden. The detector consists of a thin Lithium6-glass scintillator, a multi-anode photomultiplier tube and associated read-out electronics. Initial characterizations of the response to laser light and a collimated alpha-particle beam were performed in collaboration with the Department of Nuclear Physics at the University of Glasgow. The response of the prototype to the laser light was demonstrated to be reproducible. The absolute gain for each pixel provided by the manufacturer for the multi-anode photomultiplier tube was not repro- ducible. For the first time ever, the response of the prototype to a collimated alpha-particle beam was determined. Pixel-to-pixel gain variations were gain corrected using both the measured laser correction matrix and the data sheet from the manufacturer. Qualitative similarities between the results using the two calibration methods clearly exist. Further study is warranted.Neutrons are small particles with no charge. Together with protons, they are what makes up the nuclei of the atoms. The fact that neutrons have no charge makes them excellent to use as probes in material science. This is what researcher are planning to do at the European Spallation Source (ESS) which is currently being built in Lund, Sweden and is expected to be finished in 2023. This project is about how you detect these neutrons after they have interacted with a sample

Recent Developments SoNDe High-Flux Detector Project

New high-flux and high-brilliance neutron sources demand a higher count-rate capability in neutron detectors. In order to achieve that goal, the Solid-State Neutron Detector (SoNDe) project is developing a scintillation-based neutron detector. It will be capable of fully exploiting the available flux at small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instruments at high brilliance sources, such as SKADI at the European Spallation Source (ESS). The read-out of the scintillator is based on a pixelized multi-anode PMT (MaPMT), where each pixel is treated separately. In addition to enabling higher achievable count-rates, one of the design goals was to develop a modular and scalable solution that can also be used in other instruments or even contexts, such as for laboratory setups. This has been achieved by combining the complete read-out electronics along with the MaPMT into modules that can be controlled and read-out individually via a network without additional any infrastructure. An overview of the present state of development and current test results is presented, highlighting the results of previously published project reports