Abstract
The DESCANT array (D euterated S cintillator A rray for N eutron T agging) consists of up to 70 detectors, each filled with approximately 2 liters of deuterated benzene. This scintillator material o_ers pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) capabilities to distinguish between neutrons and γ -rays interacting with the scintillator material. In addition, the anisotropic nature of n – d scattering allows for the determination of the neutron energy spectrum directly from the pulse height spectrum, complementing the traditional time-of-flight (ToF) information. DESCANT can be coupled either to the TIGRESS (T RIUMF-I SAC G amma-R ay E scape S uppressed S pectrometer) γ -ray spectrometer [1] located in the ISAC-II [2] hall of TRIUMF for in-beam experiments, or to the GRIFFIN (G amma-R ay I nfrastructure F or F undamental I nvestigations of N uclei) γ -ray spectrometer [3] located in the ISAC-I hall of TRIUMF for decay spectroscopy experiments.
Highlights
Spectroscopy following β-decay is an important tool in studying radioactive isotopes
This ΔL/L of 30 % limits the energy resolution achievable via the time-of-flight (ToF) technique; the anisotropic nature of the n − d scattering will allow the determination of the neutron energy spectrum directly from the pulse height spectrum [5]
The ToF resolution in these measurements is dominated by the energy distribution of the neutrons due to the straggling of the protons in the entrance foil of the tritium gas chamber, straggling in the chamber itself, as well as the changing kinematics within the opening angle of the detector. To exclude all these factors the ToF width as determined with a one-inch thick test can was subtracted from those measured with the white DESCANT detector
Summary
Spectroscopy following β-decay is an important tool in studying radioactive isotopes. In cases where the Q-value of the reaction is larger than the one-neutron-separation energy,. In cases where the Q-value of the reaction is even larger, the emission of two, three, or even four neutrons is possible. These β-delayed neutrons play an important role in the stable operation of nuclear reactors, contribute to the decay heat of spent nuclear fuel, influence the abundance pattern of the astrophysical r-process, and yield information about the nuclear structure of the daughter nuclei. The new DESCANT array will provide a high efficiency to detect β-delayed neutrons, contributing to our understanding of this important process, and its coupling to GRIFFIN will enable n-γ coincidence studies.
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