Abstract
Monte Carlo method has been used to determine the efficiency for proton production and to study the energy and angular distributions of the generated protons. The ENDF library of cross sections is used to simulate the interactions between the neutrons and the atoms in a polyethylene (PE) layer, while the ranges of protons with different energies in PE are determined using the Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) computer code. The efficiency of proton production increases with the PE layer thickness. However the proton escaping from a certain polyethylene volume is highly dependent on the neutron energy and target thickness, except for a very thin PE layer. The energy and angular distributions of protons are also estimated in the present paper, showing that, for the range of energy and thickness considered, the proton flux escaping is dependent on the PE layer thickness, with the presence of an optimal thickness for a fixed primary neutron energy.
Highlights
IntroductionThe majority of the neutron exposure is derived from exposures to cosmic radiation
For the general public, the majority of the neutron exposure is derived from exposures to cosmic radiation
The angular distribution of protons exiting from the opposite side of the PE layer;
Summary
The majority of the neutron exposure is derived from exposures to cosmic radiation. People in certain professions or groups can have higher neutron exposures, including workers at neutron irradiation facilities, nuclear power plants, well loggers, airline crew members, and medical staff and patients involved in clinical radiotherapy. As many of the neutron exposures are long-term, it is pertinent to develop long-term passive methods for monitoring these exposures. One of the most popular methods for long-term passive measurements of fast neutrons is to employ combinations of converters (to generate protons from neutrons) and proton detectors. Some hydrogen rich material is used, where elastic scattering of neutrons, i.e., (n,n’p) nuclear reaction is highly probable. The protons obtained from this reaction are counted with some convenient active or passive device [1,2]. Polyethylene (PE) with the chemical formula (–CH2–CH2–)n is usually used because of its large contents of PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0157627 June 30, 2016
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