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Status of the Neutromania project. Neutromania : research group on solid organic scintillators. Aim : design a new scintillator for the detection of neutrons : solid able to discriminate neutrons and gammas. 2 year funding by the ANR (09/2005-09/2007). Motivations.
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Status of the Neutromania project Neutromania : research group on solid organic scintillators • Aim : design a new scintillator for the detection of neutrons : • solid • able to discriminate neutrons and gammas 2 year funding by the ANR (09/2005-09/2007)
Motivations • Organic scintillators with good n-g discrimination properties = liquids: • toxic & flammable • containers leaks, contamination by O2 • no use in vacuum • Organic crystals (stilbene, anthracene, ...) can discriminate but: • response depends on recoil direction • expensive • large detectors difficult to make need for a new solid material able to discriminate • Additional desirable properties: • hydrogen rich • fast (t ~ 1 ns) • high scintillation efficiency • use under vacuum • attenuation length ~ 1 m large detectors • cheap • emission in blue-green (400-500 nm)
What was done Definition of candidate materials • Definition/test of manufacture processes: • « how to get a clean sample with a reasonable size and shape... » • no contaminants (oxygen, polymerisation starter, molds,...) • transparent, no bubbles • 1 x 1 x 1 cm3 • On the 3 sites : • tens of samples synthesized and tested • mainly polymers • several show scintillation • 1 material shows n-g discrimination, 1 shows high light production • Discrimination mechanisms: • discrimination observed in cooled DEMON (@ -37 ° C) • chemical analysis of NE213 (NMR,...)
Discrimation tests at LPC AmBe source and digital ADC (12bits, 2 GHz) Qslow vs Qfast Qslow vs Qfast neutrons gammas Sample 151 DEMON
« Breakthroughs » Caen Strasbourg • 1 material with high light production • Better than BC400 • Polymer • Transparent • But : • No discrimination • 1 material shows discrimination • Solid, crystalline (key?) • Melting temperature « adjustable » • No vapour tension (OK for vacuum ?) • Emission ~ 390 nm • But low light production (opaque...) • Improve scintillation efficiency/transparency • Test influence of cristalline structure on discrimination • Patent? • Keep testing other materials • Asking for 3 year funding by ANR • Start building a prototype in 2 years?