The 4π neutron detector CARMEN

International audienceCARMEN is a 4π neutron detector filled with a gadolinium-loaded liquid scintillator built to measure neutron multiplicity distributions. It is used to study fission and (n,xn) reactions. In addition to neutron multiplicity measurements, CARMEN can be used to measure neutron energy spectra with the time-of-flight technique, thanks to the time properties of the prompt signal. The detector, detection technique and efficiency determination are presented in detail. Two examples are also presented: the measurement of 252Cf spontaneous fission neutron multiplicity probability distribution and the measurement of the neutron energy spectrum emitted by an Am-Be radioactive source

Calibration of imaging plates to electrons between 40 and 180 MeV

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Calibration of imaging plate detectors to mono-energetic protons in the range 1-200 MeV

Responses of Fuji Imaging Plates (IPs) to proton have been measured in the range 1-200 MeV. Mono-energetic protons were produced with the 15 MV ALTO-Tandem accelerator of the Institute of Nuclear Physics (Orsay, France) and, at higher energies, with the 200-MeV isochronous cyclotron of the Institut Curie—Centre de Protonthérapie d’Orsay (Orsay, France). The experimental setups are described and the measured photo-stimulated luminescence responses for MS, SR, and TR IPs are presented and compared to existing data. For the interpretation of the results, a sensitivity model based on the Monte Carlo GEANT4 code has been developed. It enables the calculation of the response functions in a large energy range, from 0.1 to 200 MeV. Finally, we show that our model reproduces accurately the response of more complex detectors, i.e., stack of high-Z filters and IPs, which could be of great interest for diagnostics of Petawatt laser accelerated particle

Calibration of the low-energy channel Thomson parabola of the LMJ-PETAL diagnostic SEPAGE with protons and carbon ions

The SEPAGE diagnostic will detect charged particles (electrons, protons, and ions) accelerated in the interaction of the PETAL (PETawatt Aquitaine Laser) laser with its targets on the LMJ (Laser MegaJoule)-PETAL laser facility. SEPAGE will be equipped with a proton-radiography front detector and two Thomson parabolas (TP), corresponding to different ranges of the particle energy spectra: Above 0.1 MeV for electrons and protons in the low-energy channel, with a separation capability between protons and 12C6+ up to 20 MeV proton energy and above 8 MeV for the high-energy channel, with a separation capability between protons and 12C6+ up to 200 MeV proton kinetic energy. This paper presents the calibration of the SEPAGE's low-energy channel TP at the Tandem facility of Orsay (France) with proton beams between 3 and 22 MeV and carbon-ion beams from 5.8 to 84 MeV. The magnetic and electric fields' integrals were determined with an accuracy of 10-3 by combining the deflections measured at different energies with different target thicknesses and materials, providing different in-target energy losses of the beam particles and hence different detected energies for given beam energies

The PETAL+ project: X-ray and charged particle diagnostics for plasma experiments at LMJ-PETAL.

The first experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the US started and will be followed by the Laser MegaJoule (LMJ) in France. Such facilities will provide unique tools for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) physics & for basic science. A petawatt short pulse laser (ps) is being added to the ns pulse beams of the LMJ. This is PETAL (PETawatt Aquitaine Laser), under construction on the LMJ site near Bordeaux (France). The Petal+ project is aiming at the design and construction of diagnostics dedicated to experiments with PETAL and LMJ laser beams. Within Petal+, three types of diagnostics are under study: a proton spectrometer, an electron spectrometer and a large-band X-ray spectrometer. The first goal of these diagnostics will be to characterize the secondary radiation and particle sources produced with PETAL. They will also be used for experiments using both ns and ps beams. In the present paper emphasis is put on the charged-particle diagnostics

The Neutrons For Science facility at SPIRAL-2

International audienceThe Neutrons For Science (NFS) facility is a component of SPIRAL-2 laboratory under construction at Caen (France). SPIRAL-2 is dedicated to the production of high intensity Radioactive Ions Beams (RIB). It is based on a high-power linear accelerator (LINAG) to accelerate deuterons beams in order to produce neutrons by breakup reactions on a C converter. These neutrons will induce fission in 238U for production of radioactive isotopes. Additionally to the RIB production, the proton and deuteron beams delivered by the accelerator will be used in the NFS facility. NFS is composed of a pulsed neutron beam and irradiation stations for cross-section measurements and material studies. The beams delivered by the LINAG will allow producing intense neutron beams in the 100 keV-40 MeV energy range with either a continuous or quasi-mono-energetic spectrum. At NFS available average fluxes will be up to 2 orders of magnitude higher than those of other existing time-of-flight facilities in the 1 MeV - 40 MeV range. NFS will be a very powerful tool for fundamental physics and application related research in support of the transmutation of nuclear waste, design of future fission and fusion reactors, nuclear medicine or test and development of new detectors. The facility and its characteristics are described, and several examples of the first potential experiments are presented

The Neutrons for Science Facility at SPIRAL-2

The Neutrons For Science (NFS) facility is a component of SPIRAL-2 laboratory under construction at Caen (France). SPIRAL-2 is dedicated to the production of high intensity Radioactive Ions Beams (RIB). It is based on a high-power linear accelerator (LINAG) to accelerate deuterons beams in order to produce neutrons by breakup reactions on a C converter. These neutrons will induce fission in 238U for production of radioactive isotopes. Additionally to the RIB production, the proton and deuteron beams delivered by the accelerator will be used in the NFS facility. NFS is composed of a pulsed neutron beam and irradiation stations for cross-section measurements and material studies. The beams delivered by the LINAG will allow producing intense neutron beams in the 100 keV-40 MeV energy range with either a continuous or quasi-mono-energetic spectrum. At NFS available average fluxes will be up to 2 orders of magnitude higher than those of other existing time-of-flight facilities in the 1 MeV - 40 MeV range. NFS will be a very powerful tool for fundamental physics and application related research in support of the transmutation of nuclear waste, design of future fission and fusion reactors, nuclear medicine or test and development of new detectors. The facility and its characteristics are described, and several examples of the first potential experiments are presented.JRC.D.4-Standards for Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguard

The neutrons for science facility at SPIRAL-2

The neutrons for science (NFS) facility is a component of SPIRAL-2, the new superconducting linear accelerator built at GANIL in Caen (France). The proton and deuteron beams delivered by the accelerator will allow producing intense neutrons sources in the 100 keV-40 MeV energy range. Continuous and quasi-mono-kinetic energy spectra will be available at NFS respectively produced by the interaction of deuteron beam on thick Be converter and by 7Li(p,n) reaction on thin converter. The pulsed neutron beam, with a flux up to 2 orders of magnitude higher than those of other existing time-of-flight facilities, will open new opportunities of experiments in fundamental research as well as in nuclear data measurements. In addition to the neutron beam, irradiation stations for neutron-, proton- and deuteron-induced reactions will be available for cross-sections measurements and for the irradiation of electronic devices or biological cells…. NFS, whose first experiment is foreseen in 2018, will be a very powerful tool for physics, fundamental research as well as applications like the transmutation of nuclear waste, design of future fission and fusion reactors, nuclear medicine or test and development of new detectors. After a description of the facility and of its characteristics, some experiments to be performed in the short and medium term will be presented.JRC.G.2-Standards for Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguard