597 research outputs found
Prospects in MPGDs development for neutron detection
Compared to Multi Wires Proportional Chambers (MWPC), Micro-Pattern Gas
Detectors (MPGD) used in HEP to detect MIPs offer better spatial resolution,
counting rate capability, and radiation hardness; their fabrication is also
more reproducible. Provided similar advantages are applicable to detect
neutrons, MPGDs might contribute significantly to the development of neutron
scientific instrumentation. In order to evaluate the prospects of neutron
MPGDs, it is worth knowing the applications which would benefit from a gain in
performance, and if they offer a competitive alternative to conventional 3He
detectors. These questions have been at the focus of the workshop "Neutron
Detection with Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detectors" organized by RD51 in
collaboration with HEPTech, which took place at CERN on October 14-15, 2013.
The goal of this workshop was to help disseminating MPGD technologies beyond
High Energy Physics, and to give the possibility to academic institutions,
potential users and industry to meet together.
This summary article starts with a short summary of the state of the art of
MPGD techniques for HEP; then specificities in the design of neutron detector
are described; the consequence of the 3He shortage are briefly discussed;
requirements for neutron scattering science at current facilities and at the
future ESS are described; finally, we give some recommendations about possible
directions where we believe the development of neutron MPGDs is of particular
interest for possible use on neutron scattering instruments.Comment: Summary based on presentations during RD51 Academia-Industry Matching
Event, CERN October 14-15, 201
Geant4 based simulations for novel neutron detector development
A Geant4-based Python/C++ simulation and coding framework, which has been
developed and used in order to aid the R&D efforts for thermal neutron
detectors at neutron scattering facilities, is described. Built upon
configurable geometry and generator modules, it integrates a general purpose
object oriented output file format with meta-data, developed in order to
facilitate a faster turn-around time when setting up and analysing simulations.
Also discussed are the extensions to Geant4 which have been implemented in
order to include the effects of low-energy phenomena such as Bragg diffraction
in the polycrystalline support materials of the detector. Finally, an example
application of the framework is briefly shown.Comment: Proceedings for the 20th International Conference on Computing in
High Energy and Nuclear Physics (CHEP
Simulation Tools for Detector and Instrument Design
The high performance requirements at the European Spallation Source have been
driving the technological advances on the neutron detector front. Now more than
ever is it important to optimize the design of detectors and instruments, to
fully exploit the ESS source brilliance. Most of the simulation tools the
neutron scattering community has at their disposal target the instrument
optimization until the sample position, with little focus on detectors. The ESS
Detector Group has extended the capabilities of existing detector simulation
tools to bridge this gap. An extensive software framework has been developed,
enabling efficient and collaborative developments of required simulations and
analyses -- based on the use of the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit, but with
extended physics capabilities where relevant (like for Bragg diffraction of
thermal neutrons in crystals). Furthermore, the MCPL (Monte Carlo Particle
Lists) particle data exchange file format, currently supported for the primary
Monte Carlo tools of the community (McStas, Geant4 and MCNP), facilitates the
integration of detector simulations with existing simulations of instruments
using these software packages. These means offer a powerful set of tools to
tailor the detector and instrument design to the instrument application
Investigation of gamma-ray sensitivity of neutron detectors based on thin converter films
Currently, many detector technologies for thermal neutron detection are in
development in order to lower the demand for the rare 3He gas. Gas detectors
with solid thin film neutron converters readout by gas proportional counter
method have been proposed as an appropriate choice for applications where large
area coverage is necessary. In this paper, we investigate the probability for
gamma-rays to generate a false count in a neutron measurement. Simulated
results are compared to measurement with a 10B thin film prototype and a 3He
detector. It is demonstrated that equal gamma-ray rejection to that of 3He
tubes is achieved with the new technology. The arguments and results presented
here are also applicable to gas detectors with converters other than solid 10B
layers, such as 6Li layers and 10BF3 gas.Comment: Submitted to Journal of Instrumentatio
Characterization of boron-coated silicon sensors for thermal neutron detection
Silicon neutron detectors can operate at low voltage and come with ease of fabrication and the possibility of integration of readout electronics and thus are attractive from an application point of view. In this paper, we have studied thermal neutron capture by silicon diodes coated with boron carbide (B4C). One of the surfaces of the diodes was covered with either natural B4C (B4C) or with enriched B4C (B4C). We have investigated: (a) the effect of increase in the sensitive area of the surface of the diode covered with B4C on the neutron detection efficiency and (b) the effect of enrichment of 10B in B4C. The difference in 10B in B4C (16 at.% in the deposited film) and B4C ( 79 at.% in the deposited film) leads to about three times increase in detection efficiency of the same detector. For the given experimental conditions, we do not observe a direct relationship between increase in the surface area and the detection efficiency. Energy spectra obtained by Geant4 simulations support the experimental observation of finding no direct relation between increase in the surface area and the detection efficiency.publishedVersio
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