Using anisotropies in prompt fission neutron coincidences to assess the neutron multiplication of highly multiplying subcritical plutonium assemblies
Abstract
There is a significant and well-known anisotropy between the prompt neutrons emitted from a single fission event; these neutrons are most likely to be observed at angles near 0° or 180° relative to each other. However, the propagation of this anisotropy through different generations of a fission chain re-action has not been previously studied. We have measured this anisotropy in neutron–neutron coincidences from a subcritical highly-multiplying assembly of plutonium metal. The assembly was a 4.5 kg α-phase plutonium metal sphere composed of 94% 239Pu and 6% 240Pu by mass. Data were collected using two EJ-309 liquid scintillators and two EJ-299 plastic scintillators. The angular distribution of neutron–neutron coincidences was measured at 90° and 180° and found to be largely isotropic. Simulations were performed using MCNPX-PoliMi of similar plutonium metal spheres of varying sizes and a correlation between the neutron multiplication of the assembly and the anisotropy of neutron–neutron coincidences was observed. In principle, this correlation could be used to assess the neutron multi-plication of an unknown assembly.
- Authors:
-
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States); Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); CNEC/North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1438391
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1359655; OSTI ID: 1367549; OSTI ID: 1437438; OSTI ID: 1487109
- Grant/Contract Number:
- NA0002576; NA0002534
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 825; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0168-9002
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS; passive interrogation; plutonium; nonproliferation; special nuclear material; neutron angular anisotropy; neutron detectors
Citation Formats
Mueller, Jonathan M., and Mattingly, J. Using anisotropies in prompt fission neutron coincidences to assess the neutron multiplication of highly multiplying subcritical plutonium assemblies. United States: N. p., 2016.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.nima.2016.04.027.
Mueller, Jonathan M., & Mattingly, J. Using anisotropies in prompt fission neutron coincidences to assess the neutron multiplication of highly multiplying subcritical plutonium assemblies. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2016.04.027
Mueller, Jonathan M., and Mattingly, J. Sat .
"Using anisotropies in prompt fission neutron coincidences to assess the neutron multiplication of highly multiplying subcritical plutonium assemblies". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2016.04.027. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1438391.
@article{osti_1438391,
title = {Using anisotropies in prompt fission neutron coincidences to assess the neutron multiplication of highly multiplying subcritical plutonium assemblies},
author = {Mueller, Jonathan M. and Mattingly, J.},
abstractNote = {There is a significant and well-known anisotropy between the prompt neutrons emitted from a single fission event; these neutrons are most likely to be observed at angles near 0° or 180° relative to each other. However, the propagation of this anisotropy through different generations of a fission chain re-action has not been previously studied. We have measured this anisotropy in neutron–neutron coincidences from a subcritical highly-multiplying assembly of plutonium metal. The assembly was a 4.5 kg α-phase plutonium metal sphere composed of 94% 239Pu and 6% 240Pu by mass. Data were collected using two EJ-309 liquid scintillators and two EJ-299 plastic scintillators. The angular distribution of neutron–neutron coincidences was measured at 90° and 180° and found to be largely isotropic. Simulations were performed using MCNPX-PoliMi of similar plutonium metal spheres of varying sizes and a correlation between the neutron multiplication of the assembly and the anisotropy of neutron–neutron coincidences was observed. In principle, this correlation could be used to assess the neutron multi-plication of an unknown assembly.},
doi = {10.1016/j.nima.2016.04.027},
journal = {Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment},
number = C,
volume = 825,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Apr 09 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Sat Apr 09 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}
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Figure 1: The experimental setup used to measure neutrons from the BeRP ball.
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Works referencing / citing this record:
High resolution measurement of tagged two-neutron energy and angle correlations in (sf)
journal, July 2019
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- Physical Review C, Vol. 100, Issue 1
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