Guntram Pausch

Boron-10 Loaded BC523A Liquid Scintillator for Neutron Detection in the Border Monitoring

A BC523A liquid scintillator loaded with boron-10 was tested as a detector for both fast and thermal neutrons. Pulse shape discrimination (PSD) method based on a zero-crossing principle was applied to distinguish between neutron and gamma radiation. High quantum efficiency Photonis XP5500B photomultiplier was used to enhance light detection from the scintillator. This allowed a good registration of the energy spectrum of neutron capture events on boron-10, corresponding to about 60 keVee. The applied PSD method proved to be useful for n/y discrimination. A good resolving power of the method was achieved even without gating on neutron capture events. A comparison with a standard BC501A liquid scintillator was done to evaluate thermal neutrons detection efficiency in BC523A.

Study of LaBr

The performance of several BrilLanCe LaBr3 crystals that range in size from Oslash 6 times 6 mm2 up to Oslash 38 times 38 mm2 coupled to XP5212 and R6231MOD photomultipliers were studied, and in the case of the small crystals, the crystals were also coupled to large area avalanche photodiodes (LAAPD) of Advanced Photonix, Inc. First, the performance of several photomultipliers from Photonis and Hamamatsu with LaBr3 were compared to select the best one, not affecting energy resolution, besides the photoelectron statistics. The light output and energy resolution for 662 keV gamma rays from137 Cs source were measured for all crystals. Moreover, for some crystals, the non-proportionality of the light yield and energy resolution versus gamma ray energy were measured and the intrinsic resolution of the crystals was calculated. For the smallest crystals of Oslash 6 times 6 mm2 further comparative tests with LAAPD were carried out.

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Boron-10 loaded liquid scintillators were studied in order to improve n/γ separation. Pulse shape discrimination (PSD) was done by means of a zero-crossing (ZC) method to distinguish between γ-rays and fast/slow neutrons. A significant progress was achieved for BC523A2 and EJ339A2 loaded with reduced amount of 10B (2% and 2.5%, respectively), as compared to the results obtained earlier with BC523A loaded with 5% of 10B. The improvement was probably caused by the reduction of 10B content, as indicated in the latter study. A 10B loaded scintillator EJ309B5 based on a non-flammable liquid was also studied, showing the best separation of thermal neutron capture events from fast neutrons, γ-rays and noise.

Crystals Coupled to Photomultipliers and Avalanche Photodiodes

The performance of several BrilLanCetrade LaBr3 crystals with the size of O6 times 6 mm2 up to O38 times 38 mm2 were studied coupled to the XP5212 and R6231MOD photomultipliers and in case of the small crystals, coupled also to large area avalanche photodiodes of Advanced Photonix, Inc. First, several photomultipliers of Photonis and Hamamatsu were compared in the work with LaBr3 to select the best one, not affecting energy resolution, besides the photoelectron statistics. The light output and energy resolution for 662 keV gamma rays from 137Cs source were measured for all crystals. Moreover, for some of them, the non-proportionality of the light yield and energy resolution versus gamma rays energy were measured and the intrinsic resolution of the crystals was calculated. For the smallest crystals of O6 times 6 mm2 further comparative tests with LAAPD were carried out.

Further study of Boron-10 loaded liquid scintillators for detection of fast and thermal neutrons

A BC523A liquid scintillator loaded with boron-10 was tested as a detector for both fast and thermal neutrons. A pulse shape discrimination (PSD) method based on a zero-crossing principle was applied to distinguish between neutron and gamma radiation. High quantum efficiency Photonis XP5500B photomultiplier was used to enhance light detection from the scintillator. This allowed a good registration of the energy spectrum of neutron capture events on boron-10, corresponding to about 60 keV gamma-rays. The applied PSD method proved to be useful for n/gamma discrimination. A good resolving power of the method was achieved even without gating on neutron capture events. A comparison with a standard BC501A liquid scintillator was done to evaluate thermal neutrons detection efficiency in BC523A.

Study of LaBr 3 crystals coupled to photomultipliers and avalanche photodiodes

Photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) can be stabilized with light emitting diodes (LEDs) used as reference light sources. The LED is supplied with short voltage pulses that produce well-defined light portions if the LED temperature is kept constant. However, if the PMT must be operated in a wide temperature range, the LED light output is no longer a constant but becomes a function of the junction temperature. This problem can be solved at low expense by means of a new method. The LED is operated in two alternating pulse modes distinguished by the pulse voltage. The LED light output depends on the pulse voltage and, therefore, the PMT pulse height spectrum shows two distinct peaks. However, not only is the total amount of light L emitted per pulse but also the shape of the temperature dependence L(T) varies with the pulse voltage. The numerical ratio R of the peak positions corresponding to the two different LED modes is therefore a function of the LED temperature as well. Since it is a ratio, R is independent of the actual PMT gain but characterizes the LED junction temperature. Thus, the pulse height ratio of the different LED signals can serve as an LED thermometer. Moreover, measuring L and R at several temperature points covering the full operational range yields a calibration function L(R). With this knowledge, commercial off-the-shelf LED components can be used as precise reference light sources in a wide range of ambient temperatures

Boron-10 loaded BC523A liquid scintillator for neutron detection in the border monitoring

Liquid scintillators loaded with boron-10 or lithium-6 are capable to detect gamma rays, fast neutrons and also thermal neutrons. One of the popular methods applied in order to distinguish events originating from different particles is the pulse shape discrimination (PSD). The previously presented study of boron-10 loaded liquid scintillators using the PSD method showed different discrimination performance in scintillators such as BC523A, BC523A2, EJ339A2 and EJ309B5. It triggered a further study of the light pulse shapes in these scintillators originating from events related to gamma rays, fast and thermal neutrons. The light pulse shapes, measured using the single photon method, were recorded together with the 2-dimensional n/gamma discrimination data. Next, the recorded light pulses were gated using energy and the PSD information to extract pulses characteristic of the only one kind of particles. Finally, the analysis of the light pulse shapes with multi-exponential fits and calculation of decay time constants and intensities of components were performed. The results were compared with the data obtained for liquid scintillators not sensitive to thermal neutrons BC501A, EJ301 and EJ309.

Stabilizing scintillation detector systems with pulsed LEDs: a method to derive the LED temperature from pulse height spectra

The performance of a silicon drift detector (SDD) with an integrated FET, delivered by the company PNSensor, Munich, Germany, was studied in gamma spectrometry at room temperature (23-25degC) with a LaBr3:Ce crystal of 6 mm diameter and 6 mm height. The SDD characteristics were compared with those measured with a Photonis XP5212 photomultiplier, a Large Area Avalanche Photodiode (LAAPD) of Advanced Photonix, Inc., and a Hamamatsu S3590-18 Photodiode (PD). Energy resolution versus gamma ray energies and its components related to the photoelectron/electron-hole pair statistics and dark noise were measured and compared. At low energies, below 100 keV, the light readout by the photomultiplier gives the best results, while for high energies, above 300 keV, the light readout by the SDD delivers superior energy resolution. In particular, the best energy resolution of 2.7% was determined for 662 keV gamma rays from a 137Cs source.

Light Pulse Shapes in Liquid Scintillators Originating From Gamma-Rays and Neutrons

Non-proportionality of light yield and energy resolution of Compton electrons in three scintillators (LaBr3:Ce, LYSO:Ce and CsI:Tl) were studied in a wide energy range from 10 keV up to 1 MeV. The experimental setup was comprised of a High Purity Germanium detector and tested scintillators coupled to a photomultiplier. Probing the non-proportionality and energy resolution curves at different energies was obtained by changing the position of various radioactive sources with respect to both detectors. The distance between both detectors and source was kept small to make use of Wide Angle Compton Coincidence (WACC) technique, which allowed us to scan large range of scattering angles simultaneously and obtain relatively high coincidence rate of 100 cps using weak sources of about 10 μCi activity. The results are compared with those obtained by direct irradiation of the tested scintillators with gamma-ray sources and fitting the full-energy peaks.

A Comparative Study of Silicon Drift Detectors With Photomultipliers, Avalanche Photodiodes and PIN Photodiodes in Gamma Spectrometry With LaBr

A method based on the Compton coincidence technique was applied to study the energy resolution of Compton electrons in wide energy range. The experimental setup was comprised of a High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector and a LaBr3:Ce scintillator coupled to a photomultiplier. The detectors were set in a face-to-face geometry and the source was placed between them. Thus gating on events backscattered in the scintillator and detected in HPGe allowed one to measure the energy resolution of Compton scattered electrons at an energy corresponding to the Compton edge for a given source. This study confirms the importance of the electron scattering (6-rays) as the main component of the intrinsic resolution in scintillators. The results are particularly important for discussion of the light yield non-proportionality contribution to the energy resolution of scintillators.