Active Neutron Spectrometry with Superheated Drop (Bubble) Detectors

Bubble Radiation Detection: Current and Future Capability

“…Temperature changes affect both the overall sensitivity and the shape of the energy-response curve for droplet detectors. F. d'Errico et al concluded that a dosimetry system based upon droplet detectors was "a fairly delicate system which can be operated reliably only when environmental conditions are not extreme" (d'Errico et al 1996). Typically, neutron-sensitive droplet detectors have an operable range of roughly 25°C with substantial(factor of 4) variations in sensitivity across the fill temperature range.…”

“…Depending upon the materials, temperature, and pressure, the response of a typical droplet detector to neutrons as a fiction of energy can take the form of any of the curves in Figure 1 (Harper and Nelson 1993;d'Errico et al 1995;d'Errico et al 1996;Bamblevski et al 1996;Ing et al 1997). The response to neutrons above roughly 250 keV arises primarily from the carbon, chlorine, and fluorine nuclei produced via neutron scattering.…”

“…As the bubble nucleation energy is fhrtherincreased, the neutron energy threshold increases fiuther. In this way, a set of droplet detectors that can be used for crude neutron energy spectrometry can be fabricated (Harper and Nelson 1993;d'Errico et al 1995;Bamblevski et al 1996;Ing et al 1997). Energy thresholds between 100 keV and roughly 10 MeV are obtainable.…”

“…The following list describes the applications of which we are aware: q q q Dosimetry -Medical Dosimetry: Position-sensitive droplet detectors can be inserted in medical phantoms and used to evaluate neutron radiotherapy treatments (Lim and Wang 1995). -Neutron Spectrometry: Droplet detectors can provide neutron spectrometric information that can be used to improve the accuracy of other neutron dosimeters (l%unblevski et al1996;d'Ernco et al 1995). -Jet Aircrew Dosimetry: Droplet detectors are proposed for use as aircraft dosimeters (Tume et al 1998).…”

“…-Jet Aircrew Dosimetry: Droplet detectors are proposed for use as aircraft dosimeters (Tume et al 1998). -Ambient Dosimetry Highly accurate area monitors were constructed using droplet detectors (d'Errico et al 1996). -Beam Contamination: Droplet detectors were used to determine the unwanted neutron dose received by patients treated via a medical electron accelerator., The excellent gamma-ray and electron rejection of droplet detectors was critical for this application (Bourgois et al 1997;Nath et al 1993;Ponraju, et al 1998).…”