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Title: High-precision characterization of the neutron light output of stilbene along the directions of maximum and minimum response

Abstract

The scintillation light output response of stilbene crystals has been calculated for protons recoiling along the a, b, and c' crystalline axes with energies between 1.3 and 10 MeV using neutrons produced with the tandem Van de Graaff accelerator at Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory. The proton recoil energy and direction were measured using the coincident detection of neutrons between a stilbene scintillator and an array of EJ-309 liquid scintillators spanning arranged neutron recoil angles. The maximum light output was discovered to coincide with proton recoils along the a-axis, in disagreement with other published measurements, which reported the b-axis as the direction of the maximum light output. Additional measurements were conducted using two different stilbene crystals to confirm these results: a second measurement using the coincident detection of neutrons; measurements of neutron full energy deposition events along the a and b axes; and measurements of the count rate for 252Cf neutrons traveling along the a and b axes directions. All measurements found that recoils along the a-axis produce the maximum light output.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [4];  [4];  [1]
  1. North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States)
  2. Inrad Optics, Northvale, NJ (United States)
  3. Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
  4. Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Nonproliferation and Verification Research and Development (NA-22); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
OSTI Identifier:
1523196
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1636854
Grant/Contract Number:  
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: 927; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0168-9002
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; Stilbene; Scintillation anisotropy; Crystalline organic scintillator; Neutron detection; Detector characterization

Citation Formats

Weldon, R. A., Mueller, J. M., Lynch, C., Schuster, P., Hedges, S., Awe, C., Li, L., Barbeau, P., and Mattingly, J. High-precision characterization of the neutron light output of stilbene along the directions of maximum and minimum response. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1016/j.nima.2018.10.075.
Weldon, R. A., Mueller, J. M., Lynch, C., Schuster, P., Hedges, S., Awe, C., Li, L., Barbeau, P., & Mattingly, J. High-precision characterization of the neutron light output of stilbene along the directions of maximum and minimum response. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2018.10.075
Weldon, R. A., Mueller, J. M., Lynch, C., Schuster, P., Hedges, S., Awe, C., Li, L., Barbeau, P., and Mattingly, J. Tue . "High-precision characterization of the neutron light output of stilbene along the directions of maximum and minimum response". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2018.10.075. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1523196.
@article{osti_1523196,
title = {High-precision characterization of the neutron light output of stilbene along the directions of maximum and minimum response},
author = {Weldon, R. A. and Mueller, J. M. and Lynch, C. and Schuster, P. and Hedges, S. and Awe, C. and Li, L. and Barbeau, P. and Mattingly, J.},
abstractNote = {The scintillation light output response of stilbene crystals has been calculated for protons recoiling along the a, b, and c' crystalline axes with energies between 1.3 and 10 MeV using neutrons produced with the tandem Van de Graaff accelerator at Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory. The proton recoil energy and direction were measured using the coincident detection of neutrons between a stilbene scintillator and an array of EJ-309 liquid scintillators spanning arranged neutron recoil angles. The maximum light output was discovered to coincide with proton recoils along the a-axis, in disagreement with other published measurements, which reported the b-axis as the direction of the maximum light output. Additional measurements were conducted using two different stilbene crystals to confirm these results: a second measurement using the coincident detection of neutrons; measurements of neutron full energy deposition events along the a and b axes; and measurements of the count rate for 252Cf neutrons traveling along the a and b axes directions. All measurements found that recoils along the a-axis produce the maximum light output.},
doi = {10.1016/j.nima.2018.10.075},
journal = {Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment},
number = C,
volume = 927,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue May 21 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Tue May 21 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}

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