Review of current neutron detection systems for emergency response

Mukhopadhyay, Sanjoy; Maurer, Richard; Guss, Paul; Kruschwitz, Craig

doi:10.1117/12.2058165

Title: Review of current neutron detection systems for emergency response

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Abstract

Neutron detectors are utilized in a myriad of applications—from safeguarding special nuclear materials (SNM) to determining lattice spacing in soft materials. The transformational changes taking place in neutron detection and imaging techniques in the last few years are largely being driven by the global shortage of helium-3 (³He). This article reviews the status of neutron sensors used specifically for SNM detection in radiological emergency response. These neutron detectors must be highly efficient, be rugged, have fast electronics to measure neutron multiplicity, and be capable of measuring direction of the neutron sources and possibly image them with high spatial resolution. Neutron detection is an indirect physical process: neutrons react with nuclei in materials to initiate the release of one or more charged particles that produce electric signals that can be processed by the detection system. Therefore, neutron detection requires conversion materials as active elements of the detection system; these materials may include boron-10 (¹⁰B), lithium-6 (⁶Li), and gadollinium-157 (¹⁵⁷Gd), to name a few, but the number of materials available for neutron detection is limited. However, in recent years, pulse-shape-discriminating plastic scintillators, scintillators made of helium-4 (⁴He) under high pressure, pillar and trench semiconductor diodes, and exotic semiconductor neutron detectors made frommore »« less

Authors:

Mukhopadhyay, Sanjoy ^[1]; Maurer, Richard ^[1]; Guss, Paul ^[2]; Kruschwitz, Craig ^[3]

National Security Technologies, LLC. (NSTec), AAFB, MD (United States). Remote Sensing Laboratory - Andrews Operation
National Security Technologies, LLC. (NSTec), North Las Vegas, NV (United States). Remote Sensing Laboratory - Nellis Operations
National Security Technologies, LLC. (NSTec), Los Alamos, NM (United States). Los Alamos Operations

Publication Date:: Fri Sep 05 00:00:00 EDT 2014

Research Org.:: National Security Technologies, LLC. (NSTec), Las Vegas, NV (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Emergency Operations

OSTI Identifier:: 1178817

Report Number(s):: DOE/NV/25946-2123
Journal ID: ISSN 0277-786X

Grant/Contract Number:: DE-AC52-06NA25946

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 9213; Conference: Hard X-Ray, Gamma-Ray, and Neutron Detector Physics XVI, San Diego, CA (United States), 17 Aug 2014; Journal ID: ISSN 0277-786X

Publisher:: SPIE

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; neutron detection; neutron imaging; semiconductor neutron detectors; nanotubes; special nuclear materials; neutron converter

Citation Formats


                    Mukhopadhyay, Sanjoy, Maurer, Richard, Guss, Paul, and Kruschwitz, Craig. Review of current neutron detection systems for emergency response.  United States: N. p., 2014. 
Web.  doi:10.1117/12.2058165.

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                    Mukhopadhyay, Sanjoy, Maurer, Richard, Guss, Paul, & Kruschwitz, Craig. Review of current neutron detection systems for emergency response.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2058165

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                    Mukhopadhyay, Sanjoy, Maurer, Richard, Guss, Paul, and Kruschwitz, Craig. Fri .  
"Review of current neutron detection systems for emergency response".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2058165.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1178817.

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@article{osti_1178817,

  title        = {Review of current neutron detection systems for emergency response},

  author       = {Mukhopadhyay, Sanjoy and Maurer, Richard and Guss, Paul and Kruschwitz, Craig},

  abstractNote = {Neutron detectors are utilized in a myriad of applications—from safeguarding special nuclear materials (SNM) to determining lattice spacing in soft materials. The transformational changes taking place in neutron detection and imaging techniques in the last few years are largely being driven by the global shortage of helium-3 (3He). This article reviews the status of neutron sensors used specifically for SNM detection in radiological emergency response. These neutron detectors must be highly efficient, be rugged, have fast electronics to measure neutron multiplicity, and be capable of measuring direction of the neutron sources and possibly image them with high spatial resolution. Neutron detection is an indirect physical process: neutrons react with nuclei in materials to initiate the release of one or more charged particles that produce electric signals that can be processed by the detection system. Therefore, neutron detection requires conversion materials as active elements of the detection system; these materials may include boron-10 (10B), lithium-6 (6Li), and gadollinium-157 (157Gd), to name a few, but the number of materials available for neutron detection is limited. However, in recent years, pulse-shape-discriminating plastic scintillators, scintillators made of helium-4 (4He) under high pressure, pillar and trench semiconductor diodes, and exotic semiconductor neutron detectors made from uranium oxide and other materials have widely expanded the parameter space in neutron detection methodology. In this article we will pay special attention to semiconductor-based neutron sensors. Finally, modern microfabricated nanotubes covered inside with neutron converter materials and with very high aspect ratios for better charge transport will be discussed.},

  doi          = {10.1117/12.2058165},

  journal      = {Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering},

  number       = ,

  volume       = 9213,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Fri Sep 05 00:00:00 EDT 2014},

  month        = {Fri Sep 05 00:00:00 EDT 2014}

}

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