A study on neutron energy spectrum estimation by LaBr3:Ce detector

A novel approach to estimation of neutron energy spectrum by LaBr3:Ce detector which was usually used for gamma rays measurement was presented. In this approach, energy distribution of the neutron flux was devided into several bins, and simultaneous equations of these bins were setup based on the net counts of gamma peaks induced by neutron inelastic scattering with LaBr3:Ce detector. With these equations, the neutron energy spectrum was derived by a deconvolution algorithm. This approach was tested using a 3 in. × 3 in. LaBr3:Ce detector exposured to an 241Am-Be neutron source and proved practicable.