Speaker
Description
The detection of concealed neutron sources is imperative for nuclear security as neutrons can signify the presence of fissile material. Neutron sensors with positional and directional sensitivity can greatly improve detection capabilities through source localisation. However, the cost of existing detection systems has limited their widespread use. We are proposing a new, low-cost type of scintillating neutron sensor based on the idea of an opaque scintillator that offers positional and directional sensitivity. Opaque scintillators have recently gained interest in the neutrino physics community where they are being proposed to greatly improve position resolution when imaging neutrino interactions in large-scale detectors. By using an “opaque” medium with a small scattering length but long attenuation length, scintillation light can be confined in a small region around its emission location. The light can then be extracted from the medium using an array of optical fibres coupled to photosensors located outside of the medium. We intend to augment this technique using a boron-loaded opaque scintillator comprising a low-cost mixture of boron nitride and zinc sulphide suspended in a base liquid, providing implicit sensitivity to thermal neutrons through neutron capture interactions. In this talk, we will discuss the detector concept as well as providing an overview of the progress that has been made towards realising a first prototype of this novel neutron sensor and plans for the future.
