Proton Light Yield of Fast Plastic Scintillators for Neutron Imaging

Journal Article · Mon Dec 16 00:00:00 EST 2019 · IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/TNS.2019.2959979· OSTI ID:1606253

Manfredi, J. J.  ^[1]; Goldblum, B. L.  ^[1]; Laplace, T. A.  ^[1]; Gabella, G. ^[1]; Gordon, J. ^[1]; O'Brien, A. ^[1]; Chowdhury, S.  ^[1]; Brown, J. A. ^[1]; Brubaker, E.  ^[2]

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1. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
2. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)

Plastic, organic scintillators have been tailored in composition to achieve an ultrafast temporal response, thereby enabling the design and development of fast neutron detection systems with high timing resolution. Eljen Technology's plastic, organic scintillators-EJ-230, EJ-232, and EJ-232Q-are prospective candidates for use in emerging neutron imaging systems, where fast timing is paramount. To support the neutron response characterization of these materials, the relative proton light yields (PLYs) of EJ-230, EJ-232, and EJ-232Q were measured at the 88-Inch Cyclotron at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Using a broad-spectrum neutron source and a double-time-of-flight technique, the PLY relations were obtained over a proton recoil energy range of approximately 300 keV to 4 MeV. The EJ-230, EJ-232, and EJ-232Q scintillators exhibited similar PLY relations to each other and to other plastic scintillators with the same polymer base material. A comparison of the relative PLY of different sized cylindrical EJ-232 and EJ-232Q scintillators also revealed consistent results. Here, this article provides key input data for the realistic computational modeling of neutron detection technologies employing these materials, thereby supporting new capabilities in near-field radionuclide detection for national security applications.

• Research Organization: Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Nuclear Science and Security Consortium
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
• Grant/Contract Number: NA0003180; AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 1606253
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, Vol. 67, Issue 2; ISSN 0018-9499
• Publisher: IEEE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Fast plastic scintillators
light yield
neutron imaging
neutrons
organic scintillators