A large-area position-sensitive time-of-flight counter for energetic neutrons and charged particles

Abstract

Design parameters and performance characteristics of a large position-sensitive scintillation counter developed for neutron and charged particle detection in the range from 10 MeV to 300 MeV are given. The time-of-flight (TOF) counter consists of thirty bars of 5 × 10 cm 2 cross section and 2 m length each arranged in a suitable counter matrix covering an overall effective detection area of ∼1 × 2 m 2. The individual bars have pulse height responses over the length uniform to 5% except close to the ends, position resolutions of almost 5 cm and intrinsic time dispersions of 450 ps. Typical integral neutron detection efficiencies are 19% for 50 MeV neutrons and 13% for 170 MeV neutrons at a pulse height threshold of 5 MeV electron-equivalent energy (MeV ee).