Double-GEM based thermal neutron detector prototype

Abstract

The Helium-3 shortage and the growing interest in neutron science constitute a driving factor in developing new neutron detection technologies. In this work, we report the development of a double-GEM detector prototype that uses a 10B4C layer as a neutron converter material. GEANT4 simulations were performed predicting an efficiency of (3.14 ± 0.10)%, agreeing within 2.7σ with the experimental and analytic detection efficiencies obtained by the detector when tested in a 41.8 meV thermal neutron beam. The detector is position sensitive, equipped with a 256+256 strip readout connected to resistive chains, and achieves a spatial resolution better than 3 mm. The gain stability over time was also measured with a fluctuation of about 0.2% h-1 of the signal amplitude. A simple data acquisition with only 5 electronic channels is sufficient to operate this detector.

Energy sensitive and large area X-ray fluorescence imaging system based on GEM detectors

“…It is possible to adapt the cathode or even the GEM foils with thin 10 B layers to be used as conversion materials [31] for neutrons, expanding the possibility of using position sensitive gas detectors.…”

“…GEM-based detectors allowed operation at higher event rate and substituted the MWPC in different major experiments such as ALICE's TPC [40], the muon detectors of both CMS [41] and LHCb [42], and the COMPASS [43] tracking chambers. The versatility of the GEM detector is an interesting feature since they can be adapted with different coatings of its surface, making it capable of detecting other types of radiation, such as neutron (using 157 Gd [44] or 10 B [31,[45][46][47] coatings) and UV photons (using, for example, a CsI photo-cathode [48]).…”

“…Ref. [31] has a detailed description of an empirical method to deconvolute the width of the Gaussian distribution from the square profile of the slit.…”