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Title: Development of a Time-tagged Neutron Source for SNM Detection

Journal Article · · Physics Procedia
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2]
  1. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  2. Special Technology Laboratory, Santa Barbara, CA (United States)
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Associated particle imaging (API) is a powerful technique for special nuclear material (SNM) detection and characterization of fissile material configurations. A sealed-tube neutron generator has been under development by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to reduce the beam spot size on the neutron production target to 1 mm in diameter for a several-fold increase in directional resolution and simultaneously increases the maximum attainable neutron flux. A permanent magnet 2.45 GHz microwave-driven ion source has been adopted in this time-tagged neutron source. This type of ion source provides a high plasma density that allows the use of a sub-millimeter aperture for the extraction of a sufficient ion beam current and lets us achieve a much reduced beam spot size on target without employing active focusing. The design of this API generator uses a custom-made radial high voltage insulator to minimize source to neutron production target distance and to provide for a simple ion source cooling arrangement. Preliminary experimental results showed that more than 100 µA of deuterium ions have been extracted, and the beam diameter on the neutron production target is around 1 mm.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Nonproliferation and Verification Research and Development (NA-22)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1208058
Journal Information:
Physics Procedia, Vol. 66, Issue C; ISSN 1875-3892
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 9 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (8)

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journal August 2007
Novel methods for improvement of a Penning ion source for neutron generator applications journal February 2012
Design of an associated particle imaging system
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journal December 1990
Tagged neutron inspection system (TNIS) based on portable sealed generators journal December 2005
The API 120: A portable neutron generator for the associated particle technique
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  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, Vol. 241, Issue 1-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2005.07.128
journal December 2005
Characteristics of a RF-Driven Ion Source for a Neutron Generator Used for Associated Particle Imaging conference January 2009
Compact Permanent Magnet Microwave-Driven Neutron Generator
  • Ji, Qing; McDaniel, Floyd D.; Doyle, Barney L.
  • APPLICATION OF ACCELERATORS IN RESEARCH AND INDUSTRY: Twenty-First International Conference, AIP Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3586156
conference January 2011
An alpha particle detector for a portable neutron generator for the Nuclear Materials Identification System (NMIS)
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journal December 2005

Cited By (2)

An Associated Particle Imaging System for Soil-Carbon Measurements preprint January 2019
An all-digital associated particle imaging system for the 3D determination of isotopic distributions text January 2020

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Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
neutron generator
associated particle imaging
SNM detection