Development of neutron-monitor detector using liquid organic scintillator coupled with Li+ZnS(Ag) sheet

Sato, Tatsuhiko   ; Endo, Akira   ; Yamaguchi, Yasuhiro; Takahashi, Fumiaki  

For monitoring of neutron doses in high-energy accelerator facilities, we have developed a neutron-monitor detector applicable to energies from the thermal energy to 100 MeV. The detector is composed of a cylindrical (12.7 cm in diameter and 12.7 cm in length) liquid organic scintillator BC501A covered with Li+ZnS(Ag) sheets. Characteristics of this phoswitch-type detector were studied experimentally in moderated neutron fields of Am-Be and Cf sources, and in quasi-monoenergetic neutron fields of 40 and 70 MeV. It was found from the experiments that the detector is enough sensitive to both thermal and fast neutrons, and has an excellent property of pulse-shape discrimination between them. We concluded, therefore, that the detector can be used for monitoring of neutron doses over a wide energy range from the thermal to 100 MeV.