NEUTRON DISTRIBUTION MEASUREMENTS AT PAJARITO BY MEANS OF PHOTOGRAPHIC EMULSIONS

Technical Report · Thu May 15 04:00:00 EDT 1952

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4332355· OSTI ID:4332355

Young, D S

A method of using photographic emulsions for the study of neutron distributions is deseribed. If a sheet of inert material capable of being made radioactive by neutrons is placed agaiast a sheet of fissionable material and both are inserted in the neutron flux to be measured, fission fragments wall be caught in the inert material. If then the inert material with fission fragments is placed against a photographic emulsion, the blackening at any point caused by beta activity from fission decay will be a function of the number of neutrons at that point. The three detectors which have given best results are U/sup 235/, U/ sup 238/, and Au, the three being sensitive over a wide energy range. The construction of a simple machine for producing experimental critical assemblies in which the method has been used is reported. Sources of error are discussed. Curves of the perturbations when small spheres of various materials are placed in the center of the assembly are shown. (L.M.T.)

• Research Organization: Los Alamos Scientific Lab., N. Mex.
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• NSA Number: NSA-12-000959
• OSTI ID: 4332355
• Report Number(s): LA-1487
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BETA PARTICLES
CRITICAL ASSEMBLIES
DECAY
DISTRIBUTION
ENERGY
ENERGY RANGE
ERRORS
FISSION PRODUCTS
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
GOLD
MEASURED VALUES
NEUTRONS
NUCLEAR EMULSIONS
PHYSICS
PRODUCTION
SENSITIVITY
URANIUM 235
URANIUM 238