Development of the OSO-6 high-energy neutron detector and correlation of measured solar neutron fluxes to solar flares

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Feb 01 04:00:00 EDT 1974

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4332629· OSTI ID:4332629

Young, Fredrick ^[1]

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1. Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Thesis. The development of a directional high energy (20 to 160 MeV) neutron detector which was flown to satellite altitudes (500 km; circular equatorial orbit) in the NASA Orbiting Solar Observatory (OSO-6) in August 1969 is described. Both the angle of incidence and the energy of the neutron are determined by a proton-recoil telescope (Pilot B scintillation plastic) which provides the source for proton-recoils and defines the dE/dX versus E method for particle identification and energy determination. The telescope is embedded in a scintillation plastic guard counter envelope which eliminates the unwanted charged particle background as well as recoil protons (electrons) whose energies and direction do not satisfy neutron (gamma-ray) detection requirements, respectively. Results from a Monte Carlo calculation indicate that the overall average efficiency within an average angular acceptance of about 29 deg (FWHM) is approximately (2.25 plus or minus 0.113) x 10/sup -4/. The inflight calibration procedure, the main frame data bit error analysis, and the method for determining the orientation of the detector axis in the spacecraft spin plane are described. Results indicate a discrepancy in the measured (0.461 x 10/sup -2/ plus or minus 0.254 x 10/sup -2/ n/cm/sup 2/sec) and theoretical (2 to 70 n/cm/ sup 2/sec) neutron flux es which suggests a lack of basic underatanding of mechanisms leading to high energy neutron production at the sun. (auth)

• Research Organization: Los Alamos Scientific Lab., NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• NSA Number: NSA-29-024237
• OSTI ID: 4332629
• Report Number(s): LA--5487-T
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

*NEUTRON DETECTION-- PLASTIC SCINTILLATION DETECTORS
*NEUTRONS-- SOLAR RADIATION
*PLASTIC SCINTILLATION DETECTORS-- PERFORMANCE
*SOLAR FLARES-- NEUTRON FLUX
*TELESCOPE COUNTERS-- PLASTIC SCINTILLATION DETECTORS
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
CALIBRATION
EFFICIENCY
MEV RANGE 10-100
MEV RANGE 100-1000
MONTE CARLO METHOD
N46110* --Instrumentation--Radiation Detection Instruments-- General Detectors & Monitors
N56400 --Physics (Astrophysics & Cosmology)--Solar Phenomena
ORIENTATION
PARTICLE IDENTIFICATION
PROTON RECOIL DETECTORS
SATELLITES
SENSITIVITY