Unfolding the fast neutron spectra of a BC501A liquid scintillation detector using GRAVEL method

• Published in: Science China. Physics, mechanics & astronomy mechanics & astronomy, 2014-10, Vol.57 (10), p.1885-1890
• Main Authors: Chen, YongHao, Chen, XiMeng, Lei, JiaRong, An, Li, Zhang, XiaoDong, Shao, JianXiong, Zheng, Pu, Wang, XinHua
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Artificial neural networks; Astronomy; Classical and Continuum Physics; Energy spectra; Fast neutrons; Gravel; Iterative algorithms; Liquids; Matlab; MATLAB程序; Neutron spectra; Observations and Techniques; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Recoil protons; Scintillation; Spectra; 中子能谱; 中子谱; 人工神经网络; 反冲质子; 液体闪烁探测器; 石方; 镅-241
• ISSN: 1674-7348; 1869-1927
• DOI: 10.1007/s11433-014-5553-7

Accurate knowledge of the neutron energy spectra is useful in basic research and applications. The overall procedure of measuring and unfolding the fast neutron energy spectra with BC501A liquid scintillation detector is described. The recoil proton spectrum of 241Am-Be neutrons was obtained experimentally. With the NRESP7 code, the response matrix of detector was simulated. Combining the recoil proton spectrum and response matrix, the unfolding of neutron spectra was performed by GRAVEL iterative algorithm. A MatLab program based on the GRAVEL method was developed. The continuous neutron spectrum of 241Am-Be source and monoenergetic neutron spectrum of D-T source have been unfolded successfully and are in good agreement with their standard reference spectra. The unfolded 241Am-Be spectrum are more accurate than the spectra unfolded by artificial neural networks in recent years.