Improved neutron–gammadiscrimination at low-light output events using conical trans-stilbene

Abstract

Scintillator geometry affects light-collection efficiency (LCE) and, as a consequence, detector-performance metrics that depend on LCE, such as particle-type identification. This work compares the neutron–gammapulse-shape discrimination (PSD) performance of two trans-stilbene crystals of different geometries: a cylinder and cone. Both geometries have a base diameter and height of 50 mm. Results demonstrate that the cone achieved a higher figure of merit over the cylinder by approximately 22.6% for pulses ranging from 25 keVee to 100 keVee. This improvement can be especially helpful for applied detection systems to better resolve neutrons and gamma rays at low-light output events (<100 keVee), where PSD can suffer.