Development of a high-performance microstrip gas chamber with a capability of track discrimination for neutron detection

Abstract

A microstrip gas chamber (MSGC) with a capability of track discrimination for neutron detection was developed whilst ensuring the stability of the MSGC and fulfilling the specifications required for detectors used in high-flux reactors and high-intensity pulsed-neutron sources. The developed two-dimensional detector system comprises an MSGC with individual signal channel read-outs and a new instrument system with a capability of secondary-particle discrimination (InSPaD). The InSPaD identifies the particles—proton and triton—created in the nuclear reaction 3He+n→p+T by a simple, fast and cost-effective method using the difference in the track length, and it allows using a small amount of heavy gas such as C 2H 6 with helium-3 as the filling gas for achieving a high spatial resolution. We describe the concept and design of the developed detector system and show some basic experimental results supporting the feasibility of the detector system with the InSPaD, including the gas gain of the MSGC, spatial uniformity of the gas gain, and pulse-height distribution along the tracks of the secondary particles created in neutron events.