Development of a neutron beam monitor for nuclear data measurement using spallation neutron source

Nakano, Hideto*; Katabuchi, Tatsuya*; Rovira Leveroni, G.*; Kodama, Yu*; Terada, Kazushi*; Kimura, Atsushi   ; Nakamura, Shoji  ; Endo, Shunsuke   

In neutron capture cross section measurement, monitoring the number of the incident neutrons is necessary. However, in measurement with J-PARC/ANNRI, direct neutron monitoring system has not been employed. Conventional neutron detectors cannot be used as a beam monitor at ANNRI because of two reasons, high counting rate environment and gamma-flash. In general, a semiconductor detector or an inorganic scintillator, which is adopted for a neutron detector, has relatively longer response time and is unsuitable for beam monitoring at ANNRI. Therefore, a combination of a thin plastic scintillator and a LiF foil was selected as a detection system, whose fast response enabled detecting neutrons at a high counting rate. Low gamma ray sensitivity of a thin plastic scintillator allows measuring fast TOF region without count loss or detector paralysis. The geometry of the LiF foil, the plastic scintillator, and photomultiplier tube (PMT) was designed. The optimal thickness of the LiF foil was determined with simulation codes, SRIM and PHITS. The detector system was tested under the high neutron irradiation condition at J-PARC /ANNRI. A neutron TOF spectrum was successfully measured without significant count loss or detector paralysis. A neutron energy spectrum was driven from difference of TOF spectrum with and without LiF. The neutron spectrum was compared with a past neutron spectrum and good agreement was obtained. Statistic error was 0.68 at 6.0 meV even though measurement times in this study were short.