Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Neutron spectroscopy is an invaluable tool for a wide range of scientific and industrial applications, however, current approaches suffer from limitations that restrict their field of applicability. A safe and inexpensive alternative approach to neutron detection and spectroscopy is the use of a nitrogen-filled spherical proportional counter that exploits the $^{14}\rm{N(n,p)}^{14}\rm{C}$ and $^{14}\rm{N(n},α)^{11}\rm{B}$ reactions. The neutron spectroscopy capabilities of the detector are demonstrated using beams of mono-energetic neutrons. A nitrogen-filled spherical proportional counter, operating at a pressure of $1$ bar, is exposed to neutrons with energies from $0.75$ MeV to $2.75$ MeV at the Tandem accelerator of the National Centre for Scientific Research ``Demokritos'' in Athens. A linear energy response is observed, within the statistical precision of the measurements.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Institutions: Universität Hamburg, National Centre of Scientific Research "Demokritos", Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA Paris-Saclay - Etablissement de Saclay, Institut de Recherche sur les Lois Fondamentales de l'Univers, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University of Birmingham
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7212053532