Search

The worldwide need to replace 3 He for neutron detection has triggered research and development on new technologies and methods. A promising one is based on commercial solid state silicon detectors coupled with thin neutron converter layers containing 6 Li. After proving the feasibility of this technique, we characterized the behavior of such a detector with different converter layer thicknesses. In this paper we also disentangle other contributions to the overall spectrum shape observed with this kind of detector, proving that its detection efficiency can be made reasonably high and that the gamma/neutron discrimination capability is comparable to that of 3 He tubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We developed and tested a simple prototype of thermal neutron detector suitable for inexpensive deployment in the decommissioning and storage of radioactive waste, as well as for mapping the flux in the out-of-core regions of fission reactors. Though the prototype version we tested provides the neutron rate by subtracting the gamma background measured with a twin detector insensitive to neutrons, a simple geometrical improvement can strongly reduce the gamma contribution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An experimental technique is described that is able to measure reaction cross-sections at energies around the Coulomb barrier by using low intensity beams and a Si detector as an active target. Set-up optimization was carefully investigated in terms of collimation, detector efficiency and pile-up rejection. The method has been tested by measuring the total reaction cross-section σ R(E) for the 7Li+28Si system in the energy range of E lab=12–16MeV. The deduced excitation function σ R(E) agrees with the data obtained in a previous experiment. The presented technique can also be applied in order to determine total reaction cross-sections for low intensity radioactive beams at energies around the Coulomb barrier. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A prototype demonstrator for the online monitoring of short–medium term radioactive waste repositories is currently under development at INFN-LNS. Such a system is planned to be distributed, fine-grained, robust, reliable, and based on low-cost components. With the main purpose of counting gamma radiation, we implemented a new kind of mini-detector based on silicon photomultipliers and scintillating fibers that behaves like a cheap scintillating Geiger–Muller counter and is suitable to be deployed in the shape of a grid around waste drums. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]