Studying the Neutron Yield from a Target of a Compact Neutron Source on the LUE-8 Accelerator Using Helium-3 and Boron-10 Detectors

Abstract

The neutron yield from a target of a photoneutron source on the beam of the LUE-8 accelerator is studied to optimize the mode of accelerator operation for research in nuclear and solid state physics. Neutrons are detected using a helium-3 counter with an efficiency of 80% for thermal neutrons and a position-sensitive detector with a ¹⁰B layer working in the counting mode. These detectors ensure stable operation under conditions of a high gamma-ray background and electromagnetic interference. The desired signals are identified by processing the spectra recorded by a pulse height analyzer. The technique is tested using a constant neutron source under conditions of a minimal gamma-ray background and electromagnetic array. The pulse rise time is 3 μs and the pulse decay time is approximately 15 μs. In an experiment on the accelerator, data from the ¹⁰B detector are acquired as a event-by-event sequence of the pulse height and absolute time. At the same time, data from the ³He detector are transformed into a pulse height spectrum. These two detectors show satisfactory agreement in measuring the neutron yield normalized to the current of the accelerator beam.