FNIT: A TELESCOPE FOR SOLAR NEUTRON OBSERVATION FROM 3 TO 100 MEV

We present a Fast Neutron Imaging Telescope (FNIT) that is sensitive to neutrons in the energy range 3 – 100 MeV, optimized to study solar neutrons in the innermost heliosphere. The detection principle is based on multiple elastic neutron–proton scatterings in parallel plastic scintillator layers. Reaction kinematics allows then to determine direction and energy spectrum of the primary neutron flux. A performance evaluation prototype has been built, and we report on first laboratory measurements and Monte Carlo simulation results.