A high-power liquid-lithium target (LiLiT) for neutron production

A high-power liquid-lithium target (LiLiT) was built and commissioned with a 1.2 mA, 1.91 MeV (2.3 kW) proton beam from the SARAF (Soreq Applied Research Accelerator Facility, Israel). The lithium film acts both as a neutron-producing target via the 7Li(p,n)7Be reaction with a yield of ~ 2 × 1010 n/s/mA and as a power beam dump. The neutron source is suited for the study of neutron capture reactions on nuclides (stable or radioactive) of low abundance for nuclear astrophysics and to the needs of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT).