DEVELOPMENT AND EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION OF RESPONSE MODELLING FOR TIME-OF-FLIGHT NEUTRON DETECTION AND IMAGING SYSTEMS

The application and feasibility of a time-of-flight neutron detection system is explored for sources with time correlated gamma-ray and neutron emissions, such as the spontaneous fission emitter, Cf-252. For the emission of multiple gamma rays and neutrons from a single spontaneous fission event, a near instantaneous gamma-ray detection followed by a later neutron detection on a multi-detector array allows for an associated time-of-flight to be determined for a neutron arising from that event. Using a suite of purpose developed analysis tools, Monte-Carlo simulation and experimental data are compared for the Cf-252 water tank source facility at Lancaster University. Applying a bespoke time-of-flight imaging algorithm, vector-based optimisation (VBO), the true source location is determined within 21 cm by this approach.