Far-ultraviolet signatures of the H 3 e ( n , t p ) reaction in noble gas mixtures

Previous work showed that the H 3 e ( n , t p ) reaction in a cell of H 3 e at atmospheric pressure generated tens of far-ultraviolet photons per reacted neutron. Here we report amplification of that signal by factors of 1000 and more when noble gases are added to the cell. Calibrated filter-detecto...

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Published in:Applied physics letters 2010-12, Vol.97 (23), p.234105-234105-3
Main Authors: Hughes, Patrick P., Coplan, Michael A., Thompson, Alan K., Vest, Robert E., Clark, Charles W.
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Summary:Previous work showed that the H 3 e ( n , t p ) reaction in a cell of H 3 e at atmospheric pressure generated tens of far-ultraviolet photons per reacted neutron. Here we report amplification of that signal by factors of 1000 and more when noble gases are added to the cell. Calibrated filter-detector measurements show that this large signal is due to noble gas excimer emissions and that the nuclear reaction energy is converted to far-ultraviolet radiation with efficiencies of up to 30%. The results have been placed on an absolute scale through calibrations at the NIST SURF III synchrotron. They suggest possibilities for high-efficiency neutron detectors as an alternative to existing proportional counters.
ISSN:0003-6951
1077-3118
DOI:10.1063/1.3521285