NEUTRON DETECTOR SYSTEMS FOR NEUTRON NUCLEAR DATA MEASUREMENTS

Abstract

Nuclear data are essential in a wide range of applications including nuclear power reactors, nuclear safety, space radiation effects, medical radiation diagnostics and therapy, radiation effects on semiconductors, passive and active interrogation schemes, radiography, accelerator- driven systems, astrophysics and basic science research. These data are embodied in evaluated data libraries and reaction models and are used in radiation transport codes. The accuracy of the calculations and therefore the credibility of the results depend on the accuracy of the input data. Continuing progress in the quality of these data has led to the present situation where a great variety of effects can be calculated with confidence, with limits being determined often by other considerations such as the representation of the system to be calculated, thermal-hydraulic properties including their time dependence, and so forth. As computer calculations get ever faster and more accurate, however, new demands will be placed on the both on the codes and the input data. Some of the most important data are obtained with neutron detectors. This talk will review the properties of neutron detectors used for nuclear data measurements and the requirements put on them to address the need for more accurate and complete nuclear data. In this review emphasis will be given to detector systems developed and used for nuclear physics and nuclear data measurements with spallation neutron sources at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.