Quantifying spatial resolution in a fast neutron radiography system

Neutron imaging is a powerful nondestructive examination modality that has been employed in various applications. Fast neutrons provide advantages over lower energy neutrons, such as examining thicker samples and inducing negligible activation and transmutations. However, fast neutrons interact most...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment, 2022-03, Vol.1027, p.166331, Article 166331
Main Authors: Oksuz, Ibrahim, Bisbee, Matt, Hall, James, Cherepy, Nerine, Cao, Lei
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Fast neutron
INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Modulation transfer function
Neutron imaging
Neutron scattering
PVT scintillator
Spatial resolution
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Summary:Neutron imaging is a powerful nondestructive examination modality that has been employed in various applications. Fast neutrons provide advantages over lower energy neutrons, such as examining thicker samples and inducing negligible activation and transmutations. However, fast neutrons interact mostly via elastic scattering with both the neutron detector and the object, causing degradation in spatial resolution. This study explores the quantification of spatial resolution caused by the testing target itself and suggests proper candidate materials for characterizing spatial resolution in terms of modulation transfer function. Knife-edge radiographs of 3 mm, 6 mm, and 5 cm thick Tantalum (Ta) foils, and a 2.54 cm Tungsten (W) cube were acquired using a CCD-based imaging system and a Polyvinyl Toluene (PVT) scintillator at the Ohio State Research Reactor (OSURR)’s fast neutron beam facility. The spatial resolutions calculated were 195 ± 20μm, 224 ± 22μm, 248 ± 25μm, and 435 ± 44μm for 3 mm, 6 mm, and 5 cm Ta foils, and 2.54 cm W cube, respectively. The results showed a worsening spatial resolution with increasing target thickness. Simulations and calculations estimate that elastic scattering kinematics between neutrons and protons in the PVT medium also limits spatial resolution, and it sets a lower limit of ∼44μm on the spatial resolution for 2 MeV neutrons.
ISSN:0168-9002
1872-9576
DOI:10.1016/j.nima.2022.166331