Tagging Neutrons at the Source Testing Facility (LU)

Description

The Source Testing Facility (STF), located at Lund University (LU) and operated by the SONNIG Group of the Division of Nuclear Physics, is a fully functioning user facility.
The He3-crisis as well as the construction of the European Spallation Source (ESS), have called for the development of new neutron-detector technologies. The novel detectors need to be tested and validated. Hosting a complete range of gamma-ray and Be-based neutron sources, the STF is the ideal round-the-clock available laboratory for prototype development and commissioning.
In particular, the facility offers a unique piece of infrastructure: the Aquarium, a purpose-built experimental setup designed for "tagging" fast neutrons. Measuring on an event-by-event base, the time-of-flight of the detected neutron can be used to determine its energy. The aim of this technique is to characterise the detector response as a function of neutron energy.
The STF, initially designed to satisfy the needs of its key users (the Detector Group - ESS, the Neutron Optics and Shielding Group – ESS, and the SONNIG group - LU), today hosts numerous international groups, including significant industry interest. The facility is currently able to measure the fast-neutron background capabilities of detector prototypes. Future plans include the further development of the Aquarium to allow for the tagging of thermal neutrons, via active moderators and state-of-the-art digitizing electronics.
This method allows a radioactive-source laboratory to be used for advanced detector diagnostics, with a very low barrier for entry. The facility and the tagging technique are presented together with recent results obtained there by the facility’s key users.

Period	2017 Sept 4 → 2017 Sept 8
Held at	International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Austria
Degree of Recognition	International