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Explore the progress of the Neutromania project aiming to design a new solid scintillator for neutron detection, overcoming limitations of current organic scintillators. Various candidate materials were tested for their discrimination capabilities. Breakthroughs were made in developing materials with improved light production and discrimination qualities. Further refinements and testing are ongoing to enhance scintillation efficiency and transparency. Consideration for patenting and future prototype building.
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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?