Neutron Background Measurements Research Articles

Application of recoil-imaging time projection chambers to directional neutron background measurements in the SuperKEKB accelerator tunnel

Gaseous time projection chambers (TPCs) with high readout segmentation are capable of reconstructing detailed 3D ionization distributions of nuclear recoils resulting from elastic neutron scattering. Using a system of six compact TPCs with pixel ASIC readout, filled with a 70:30 mixture of He:CO2 gas, we analyze the first directional measurements of beam-induced neutron backgrounds in the tunnel regions surrounding the Belle II detector at the SuperKEKB e+e− collider. With the use of 3D recoil tracking, we show that these TPCs are capable of maintaining nearly 100% nuclear recoil purity to reconstructed ionization energies (Ereco) as low as 5keV˙ee. Using a large sample of Monte-Carlo (MC)-simulated 4He, 12C, and 16O recoil tracks, we find consistency between predicted and measured recoil energy spectra in five of the six TPCs, providing useful validation of the neutron production mechanisms modeled in simulation. Restricting this sample to 4He recoil tracks with Ereco>40keV˙ee, we further demonstrate axial angular resolutions within 8° and we introduce a procedure that under suitable conditions, correctly assigns the vector direction to 91% of these simulated 4He recoils. Applying this procedure to assign vector directions to measured 4He recoil tracks, we observe consistency between the angular distributions of observed and simulated recoils, providing first experimental evidence of localized neutron “hotspots” in the accelerator tunnel. Observed rates of nuclear recoils in these TPCs suggest that simulation overestimates the neutron flux from these hotspots. Despite this, we estimate these hotspots to produce the majority of neutron backgrounds in the accelerator tunnel at SuperKEKB’s target luminosity of 6.3×1035cm−2s−1, making them important regions to continue to monitor.

Neutron background measurement for rare event search experiments in the YangYang underground laboratory

Several experiments have been conducted in the YangYang Underground Laboratory in the Republic of Korea such as the search for dark matter and the search for neutrinoless double beta decay, which require an extremely low background event rate due to the detector system and the environment. In underground experiments, neutrons have been identified as one of the background sources. The neutron flux in the experimental site needs to be determined to design a proper shielding system and for precise background estimation. We measured the neutron spectrum with a Bonner sphere spectrometer, with Helium-3 (3He) proportional counters. The neutron flux at the underground laboratory was so low that the radioactive decays from the radioisotopes contained in the detector created a significant background interference to the neutron measurement. Using Monte Carlo simulations, the intrinsic α background distribution due to the radioactive isotopes in the detector materials, was estimated. The neutron count rate of each Bonner sphere was measured from the pulse height spectrum of the 3He proportional counter, after subtracting the α particle background. The neutron flux and the energy spectrum were determined using the unfolding technique. The total neutron flux measured was (4.46 ± 0.66) × 10−5 cm−2 s−1, and the thermal and fast neutron flux (in the range 1–10 MeV) were (1.44 ± 0.15) × 10−5 cm−2 s−1 and (0.71 ± 0.10) × 10−5 cm−2 s−1, respectively.

NUCLEUS: Exploring Coherent Neutrino-Nucleus Scattering with Cryogenic Detectors

The NUCLEUS experiment aims for the detection of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering at a nuclear power reactor with gram-scale, ultra-low-threshold cryogenic detectors. This technology leads to a miniaturization of neutrino detectors and allows to probe physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. A 0.5 g NUCLEUS prototype detector, operated above ground in 2017, reached an energy threshold for nuclear recoils of below 20 eV. This sensitivity is achieved with tungsten transition edge sensors which are operating at temperatures of 15 mK and are mainly sensitive to non-thermal phonons. These small recoil energies become accessible for the first time with this technology, which allows collecting large-statistics neutrino event samples with a moderate detector mass. A first-phase cryogenic detector array with a total mass of 10 g enables a 5-sigma observation of coherent scattering within several weeks. We identified a suitable experimental site at the Chooz Nuclear Power Plant and performed muon and neutron background measurements there. The operation of a NUCLEUS cryogenic detector array at such a site requires highly efficient background suppression. NUCLEUS plans to use an innovative technique consisting of separate cryogenic anticoincidence detectors against surface backgrounds and penetrating (gamma, neutron) radiation. We present first results from prototypes of these veto detectors and their operation in coincidence with a NUCLEUS target detector.

Neutron background measurements with a hybrid neutron detector at the Kuo-Sheng Reactor Neutrino Laboratory

We report in situ neutron background measurements at the Kuo-Sheng Reactor Neutrino Laboratory (KSNL) by a hybrid neutron detector (HND) with a data size of 33.8 days under identical shielding configurations as during the neutrino physics data taking. The HND consists of BC-501A liquid and BC-702 phosphor powder scintillation neutron detectors, which is sensitive to both fast and thermal neutrons, respectively. Neutron-induced events for the two channels are identified and differentiated by pulse shape analysis, such that background of both are simultaneously measured. The fast neutron fluxes are derived by an iterative unfolding algorithm. Neutron induced background in the germanium detector under the same fluxes, both due to cosmic-rays and ambient radioactivity, are derived and compared with the measurements. The results are valuable to background understanding of the neutrino data at the KSNL. In particular, neutron-induced background events due to ambient radioactivity as well as from reactor operation are negligible compared to intrinsic cosmogenic activity and ambient $\gamma$-activity. The detector concept and analysis procedures are applicable to neutron background characterization in similar rare-event experiments.

Felsenkeller 5 MV underground accelerator: Towards the Holy Grail of Nuclear Astrophysics 12C(α, γ)16O

Low-background experiments with stable ion beams are an important tool for putting the model of stellar hydrogen, helium, and carbon burning on a solid experimental foundation. The pioneering work in this regard has been done by the LUNA collaboration at Gran Sasso, using a 0.4 MV accelerator. The present contribution reviews the status of the project for a higher-energy underground accelerator in Felsenkeller, Germany. Results from γ-ray, neutron, and muon background measurements in the Felsenkeller underground site in Dresden, Germany, show that the background conditions are satisfactory. Two tunnels of the Felsenkeller site have recently been refurbished for the installation of a 5MV high-current Pelletron accelerator. Civil construction work has completed in March 2018. The accelerator will provide intense, 50 μA, beams of 1H+, 4He+, and 12C+ ions, enabling research on astrophysically relevant nuclear reactions with unprecedented sensitivity.

Neutron background measurements at China Jinping underground laboratory with a Bonner multi-sphere spectrometer

The neutron background spectrum from thermal neutron to 20MeV fast neutron was measured at the first experimental hall of China Jinping underground laboratory with a Bonner multi-sphere spectrometer. The measurement system was validated by a 252Cf source and inconformity was corrected. Due to micro charge discharge, the dataset was screened and background from the steel of the detectors was estimated by MC simulation. Based on genetic algorithm we obtained the energy distribution of the neutron and the total flux of neutron was (2.69±1.02) ×10−5cm−2s−1.

Measuring Muon-Induced Fast Neutrons at the Baksan Underground Scintillation Telescope

A technique to estimation low intensity muon-induced fast neutrons has been developed. The procedure for data analysis and interpretation of the results are discussed. The technique has been applied to estimate the neutron background from rock at the Baksan Underground Scintillation Telescope (BUST). A neutron background measurement relies on the production of a cosmogenic nuclide 12B by fast neutrons in an organic scintillator. The method exploited the delayed coincidences between the 12B production signals and electrons from 12B β−-decay. The total flux of muon-induced neutrons from rock was determined to be Φn = (21.5 ± 5) · 10−9 cm−2s−1. The estimated full fluxes of neutrons agree with results of Monte-Carlo simulations.

Intrinsic noise of a superheated droplet detector for neutron background measurements in massively shielded facilities

Superheated droplet detectors are a promising technique to the measurement of low-intensity neutron fields, as detectors can be rendered insensitive to minimum ionizing radiations. We report on the intrinsic neutron-induced signal of C2 ClF5 devices fabricated by our group that originate from neutron- and alpha-emitting impurities in the detector constituents. The neutron background was calculated via Monte Carlo simulations using the MCNPX-PoliMi code in order to extract the recoil distributions following neutron interaction with the atoms of the superheated liquid. Various nuclear techniques were employed to characterise the detector materials with respect to source isotopes (238 U, 232 Th and 147 Sm) for the normalisation of the simulations and also light elements (B, Li) having high (α, n) neutron production yields. We derived a background signal of ~10-3 cts/day in a 1 liter detector of 1-3 wt.% C2 ClF5 , corresponding to a detection limit in the order of 10-8 n cm-2 s-1 . Direct measurements in a massively shielded underground facility for dark matter search have confirmed this result. With the borosilicate detector containers found to be the dominant background source in current detectors, possibilities for further noise reduction by ~2 orders of magnitude based on selected container materials are discussed.

Neutron flux measurement using activated radioactive isotopes at the Baksan underground scintillation telescope

Preliminary results of a neutron background measurement at the Baksan underground scintillation telescope (BUST) are presented. The external planes of the BUST are fully covered with standard scintillation detectors shielding the internal planes and suppressing thus background events due to cosmogenic and local radioactivity. The shielded internal planes were used as target for the neutron flux registration. The experimental method is based on the delayed coincidences between signals from any of the BUST counters. It is assumed that the first signal is due to inelastic interaction of a neutron with the organic scintillator, while the second signal comes from the decay of an unstable radioactive isotope formed when the fast neutron interacts with the 12C nuclei. Using the Monte-Carlo method (GEANT4) we also simulated propagation of neutrons through a layer of scintillator. The experimentally found muon induced neutron flux is j =1.3-0.3+0.7 ×10-10cm-2s-1 for neutron energies E ≥ 22MeV, which is in a qualitative agreement with similar measurements of other underground laboratories as well as with predictions of the GEANT4.

Some features and results of thermal neutron background measurements with the [ZnS(Ag)+6LiF] scintillation detector

Features of a thermal neutron test detector with thin scintillator [ZnS(Ag)+6LiF] are described. Background of the detector and its registration efficiency were defined as a result of measurements. The thermal neutron flux at different locations, and for different conditions around the Baksan Neutrino Observatory are reported.

Systematic measurement of fast neutron background fluctuations in an urban area using a mobile detection system

Neutron background measurements using a mobile trailer-based system were conducted in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. The 0.5m2 system, consisting of eight EJ-301 liquid scintillation detectors, was used to collect neutron background measurements in order to better understand the systematic variations in background that depend solely on the street-level measurement position in a downtown area. Data was collected along 5 different streets, and the measurements were found to be repeatable. Using 10-min measurements, the fractional uncertainty in each measured data point was <2%. Compared with fast neutron background count rates measured away from downtown Knoxville, a reduction in background count rates ranging from 10% to 50% was observed in the downtown area, sometimes varying substantially over distances of tens of meters. These reductions are attributed to the net shielding of the cosmic ray neutron flux by adjacent buildings. For reference, the building structure as observed at street level is quantified in part here by a measured angle-of-open-sky metric.

Simulation of large-scale fast neutron liquid scintillation detector

Neutron background measurement is always very important for dark matter detection due to almost the same effect for the recoiled nucleus scattered off by the incident neutron and dark matter particle. For deep under-ground experiments, the flux of neutron background is so low that large-scale detection is usually necessary. In this paper, by using Geant4, the relationship between detection efficiency and volume is investigated, meanwhile, two geometrical schemes for this detection including a single large-sized detector and arrayed multi-detector are compared under the condition of the same volume. The geometrical parameters of detectors are filtrated and detection efficiencies obtained under the similar background condition of China Jingping Underground Laboratory (CJPL). The results show that for a large-scale Gd-doped liquid scintillation detector, the detection efficiency increases with the size of detector at the beginning and then trends toward a constant. Under the condition of the same length and cross section, the arrayed multi-detector has almost similar detection performance as the single large-sized detector, while too much detector number could cause degeneration of detection performance. Considering engineering factors, such as testing, assembling and production, the 4×4 arrayed detector scheme is flexible and more suitable. Furthermore, the conditions for using fast and slow signal coincidence detection and the detectable lower limit of neutron energy are evaluated by simulating the light process.

Analysis of a measured neutron background below 6 MeV for fast-neutron imaging systems

Detailed and accurate information on the neutron background is relevant for many applications that involve radiation detection, both for non-coincidence and coincidence countings. In particular, for the purpose of developing advanced neutron-detection techniques for nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear safeguards, the energy-dependent, ground-level, neutron-background information is needed. There are only a few previous studies available about the neutron background below 10MeV, which is a typical neutron energy range of interest for nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear-safeguards applications. Thus, there is a potential for further investigation in this energy range. In this paper, neutron-background measurement results using organic-liquid scintillation detectors are described and discussed, with a direct application in optimization simulations of a fast-neutron imager based on liquid scintillators. The measurement was performed in summer 2011 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, and the measurement setup consisted of several EJ-309 liquid scintillators and a fast waveform digitizer. The average neutron flux below 6MeV was measured to be approximately 4e−4counts/cm2/s. In addition, the relationship between the neutron-background count rate and various environmental quantities, such as humidity, at Earth's ground level was investigated and the results did not reveal any straightforward dependences. The measured pulse height distribution (PHD) was unfolded to determine the energy spectrum of the background neutrons. The unfolded neutron-background spectrum was implemented to a previously-created MCNPX-PoliMi model of the neutron-scatter camera and simple-backprojection images of the background neutrons were acquired. Furthermore, a simulated PHD was obtained with the MCNPX-PoliMi code using the “Cosmic-Ray Shower Library” (CRY) source sub-routine which returns various types of radiation, including neutrons and photons at a surface, and accounts for solar cycle, altitude, and geomagnetic deflection. Comparison between the measured and simulated PHDs shows very good agreement.

Neutron Background Predictions and Measurement at ATF2 Beamline

Abstract In electron machines, neutrons near the interaction region are dominantly produced by photonuclear processes in electromagnetic showers initiated by lost particles in dense materials. The photonuclear cross-section and the high multiplicity of low-energy photons make the low-energy regime vastly dominating this neutron production. ATF2, operating at 1.3 GeV, offers most of the phase space to assess the widely used Geant4 toolkit with this respect. The experiment beam dump is used to mimic the above mentioned high density region: the flux of neutron is initiated by the electron beam showering in the dump; which then scatters up to exiting the dump. The measurement of the time dependent flux is sensitive to both the neutron production and transport. Measurements of neutron fluxes performed with plastic and CsI scintillators will presented. They will be compared to a Geant4 simulation of the setup. The simulation makes use of biasing techniques to boost the simulated flux exiting the beam dump which results will be discussed.

Neutron background measurements in the DEVIS experiment

The neutron flux has been measured in the experimental area of the Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics in the course of the DEVIS tracking experiment aimed at searching for the double β decay of Xe, since events imitating double β decay may be produced in neutron interactions with the detector materials. Based on the results of measurements with a neutron source, the chemical composition of the materials used in the setup has been refined, and the accuracy of the Monte Carlo simulation of the setup has been checked. Additional sources of neutron background have been found, and their activity has been estimated.

Underground low flux neutron background measurements in LSM using a large volume (1m3) spherical proportional counter

A large volume (1m3) spherical proportional counter has been developed at CEA/Saclay, for low flux neutron measurements. The high voltage is applied to a small sphere 15mm in diameter, located in the center of the counter and the wall of the counter is grounded. Neutrons can be measured successfully, with high sensitivity, using 3He gas in the detector. The proton and tritium energy deposition in the drift gaseous volume, from the reaction 3He(n,p)3H, can provide the neutron spectra from thermal neutrons up to several MeV.The detector has been installed in the underground laboratory in Modane (LSM) to measure the neutron background. The sphere has been has been filled with gas mixture of Ar + 2% CH4 +3gr He-3, at 275 mbar. The thermal neutron peak is well separated from the cosmic ray and gamma background, permitting of neutron flux calculation. Other potential applications requiring large volume of about 10 m in radius are described in detail in reference

Solar ν detection with the Icarus experiment and the neutron background measurement

A meaurement of 8B solar ν′s can be obtained with the 600t Icarus detector adequately shielded against neutrons. In order to reduce to uncertainty about the neutron flux intensity and energy distribution in the underground laboratory, a neutron detector has been realized and installed in the Gran Sasso laboratory.

Neutron background measurements in the Underground Laboratory of Modane

Measurements of the background neutron environment, at a depth of 1780 m (4800 mwe) in the Underground Laboratory of Modane (L.S.M.) are reported. Using a 6Li liquid scintillator, the energy spectrum of the fast neutron flux has been determined. Monte Carlo calculations of the (α, n) and spontaneous fission processes in the surrounding rock has been performed and compared to the experimental result. In addition, using two 3He neutron counters, the thermal neutron flux has been measured.

Evaluation of the WIPP site for the supernova neutrino burst observatory

Measurements of the neutron background in a potential underground site for the Supernova Neutrino Burst Observatory (SNBO) have been made. The SNBO will ultimately be capable of detecting μ and τ neutrinos from a supernova. Furthermore, masses of the μ and τ neutrinos might be measurable in the range of 10–50 eV. SNBO operates by detecting the neutrons caused by interaction of the supernova neutrinos with rock. It will consist of order ten thousand neutron detectors located in an underground environment having a very low intrinsic radiation level. The limit to the size, hence sensitivity, of SNBO is thus the neutron signal-to-noise ratio, which depends on the neutron background in the environment of SNBO. Thus we have made neutron background measurements at the Department of Energy Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) located near Carlsbad, NM. The value of the ambient neutron flux we determined, 332 ± 148 neutrons m −2d −1, shows that the background levels in this facility are sufficiently low to warrant construction of a galactic supernova neutrino detector.

Method of fission chamber efficiency determination using uncorrelated neutron background measurement

Use of the time dependence of the fast neutron background is made to determine the efficiency of the fission chamber with 252Cf. Spontaneous fission neutrons have been detected by the stilbene scintillator with pulse-shape discrimination circuitry. The efficiency of the chamber has been determined by the n-f coincidence method as well.