Large field-of-view event-mode camera for high-precision epithermal neutron resonance imaging
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: A large-area event-mode camera system coupled with a [Formula: see text]LiF-ZnS:Ag scintillator is applied for neutron resonance imaging (NRI) on the energy-resolved neutron imaging (ERNI) flight path, also known as Flight Path 5 (FP5), at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). This novel neutron imaging system, featuring a 120×120 mm[Formula: see text] field of view, efficiently captures resonance information across the entire image in a single acquisition, significantly reducing beam time requirements compared to conventional energy-resolved neutron imaging systems. High-quality neutron radiographs with enhanced spatial resolution are achieved through the reconstruction of neutron events based on observations of individual photons emitted from the scintillator. The system demonstrates reduced background through neutron/gamma discrimination capabilities while maintaining sharpness across a large fields of view. In the measurements presented here, a spatial resolution of approximately 340 μm was achieved using center-of-gravity photon cluster centroiding. We demonstrate the system's capability for quantitatively determining isotopic distributions in various thin samples, as well as automatically reconstructing complex scenes with overlapping resonances from diverse samples. These results are obtained using standard data analysis tools, despite the relatively slow [Formula: see text]LiF-ZnS:Ag scintillator, which may not be optimal for absorption resonance detection. The capabilities demonstrated here offer a valuable, versatile, and cost-effective solution for high spatial and temporal resolution, large field-of-view energy-resolved neutron imaging, with potential applications across various scientific and industrial domains.
Source: Scientific Reports
Language: English
Subfield: Radiation
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,690
Awards: G1017065088, G1187630603, G127156130, G1279347439, G2318756477, G2356915424, G2438394557, G2873784832, Verbundprojekt 05K2019 - NeutroSense: Ultrahochauflösende Untersuchung des Wassertransports in alkalischen Brennstoff- und Elektrolysezellen mittels Neutronenradiographie und -Tomographie. Teilprojekt 1., G3737257869, G4910459523, G4964491435, Entwicklung eines Szintillationsdetektors im ns-Bereich mit µm-Auflösung, G594963403, G6410514744
OpenAlex ID: W4409709811