Development of a low-background neutron detector array  

作　　者：Yu-Tian Li Wei-Ping Lin Bing-Shui Gao Han Chen Hao Huang Yu Huang Tao-Yu Jiao Kuo-Ang Li Xiao-Dong Tang Xin-Yu Wang Xiao Fang Han-Xiong Huang Jie Ren Long-Hui Ru Xi-Chao Ruan Ning-Tao Zhang Zhi-Chao Zhang 

机构地区：[1]CAS Key Laboratory of High Precision Nuclear Spectroscopy,Institute of Modern Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Lanzhou 730000,China [2]School of Nuclear Science and Technology,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,China [3]Key Laboratory of Radiation Physics and Technology of the Ministry of Education,Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology,Sichuan University,Chengdu 610064,China [4]Joint Department for Nuclear Physics,Lanzhou University and Institute of Modern Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Lanzhou 730000,China [5]Sino-French Institute of Nuclear Engineering and Technology,Sun Yat-sen University,Zhuhai 519082,China [6]China Institute of Atomic Energy,Beijing 102413,China

出　　处：《Nuclear Science and Techniques》2022年第4期10-18,共9页核技术（英文）

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.11490564 and 11805138).

摘　　要：A low-background neutron detector array was developed to measure the cross section of the ^(13)C(a,n)^(16)O reaction,which is the neutron source for the s-process in AGB stars,in the Gamow window(E_(c.m.)=190±40 keV)at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory(CJPL).The detector array consists of 24^(3)He proportional counters embedded in a polyethylene cube.Owing to the deep underground location and a borated polyethylene shield around the detector array,a low background of 4.5(2)/h was achieved.The ^(51)V(p,n)^(51)Cr reaction was used to determine the neutron detection efficiency of the array for neutrons with energies E_(n)<1 MeV.Geant4 simulations are shown to effectively reproduce the experimental results.They were used to extrapolate the detection efficiency to higher energies for neutrons emitted in the ^(13)C(α,n)^(16)O reaction.The theoretical angular distributions of the ^(13)C(α,n)^(16)O reaction were shown to be important in the estimation of the uncertainties of the detection efficiency.

关 键 词：Underground laboratory Neutron detector Low background ^(3)He Counter 

分 类 号：TL816.3[核科学技术—核技术及应用]