skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: LabVIEW DAQ for NE213 Neutron Detector

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/815656· OSTI ID:815656

A neutron spectroscopy system, based on a NE213 liquid scintillation detector, to be placed at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center to measure neutron spectra from a few MeV up to 800 MeV, beyond shielding. The NE213 scintillator, coupled with a Photomultiplier Tube (PMT), detects and converts radiation into current for signal processing. Signals are processed through Nuclear Instrument Modules (NIM) and Computer Automated Measurement and Control (CAMAC) modules. CAMAC is a computer automated data acquisition and handling system. Pulses are properly prepared and fed into an analog to digital converter (ADC), a standard CAMAC module. The ADC classifies the incoming analog pulses into 1 of 2048 digital channels. Data acquisition (DAQ) software based on LabVIEW, version 7.0, acquires and organizes data from the CAMAC ADC. The DAQ system presents a spectrum showing a relationship between pulse events and respective charge (digital channel number). Various photon sources, such as Co-60, Y-88, and AmBe-241, are used to calibrate the NE213 detector. For each source, a Compton edge and reference energy [units of MeVee] is obtained. A complete calibration curve results (at a given applied voltage to the PMT and pre-amplification gain) when the Compton edge and reference energy for each source is plotted. This project is focused to development of a DAQ system and control setup to collect and process information from a NE213 liquid scintillation detector. A manual is created to document the process of the development and interpretation of the LabVIEW-based DAQ system. Future high-energy neutron measurements can be referenced and normalized according to this calibration curve.

Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (US)
DOE Contract Number:
AC03-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
815656
Report Number(s):
SLAC-TN-03-026; TRN: US0304761
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 23 Sep 2003
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English