https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-022-02922-1
Regular Article
Measuring the near-target neutron field of a D–D fusion facility with the novel NCT-WES spectrometer
1
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Via Enrico Fermi 40, 00044, Frascati, Italy
2
Università degli Studi di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125, Turin, Italy
3
INFN, Sezione di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125, Turin, Italy
4
Università degli Studi di Pavia, Via Bassi, 6, 27100, Pavia, Italy
5
INFN Sezione di Pavia, Via Bassi, 6, 27100, Pavia, Italy
6
CIEMAT, Av. Complutense 40, 28040, Madrid, Spain
7
Department of Fusion and Technologies for Nuclear Safety and Security, ENEA, Frascati (Roma), Italy
n
antonino.pietropaolo@enea.it
Received:
27
February
2022
Accepted:
5
June
2022
Published online:
5
July
2022
A new directional neutron spectrometer called NCT-WES (Neutron Capture Therapy Wide Energy Spectrometer) was recently developed within the INFN ENTER_BNCT project. This device constitutes a more compact and portable alternative to state-of-the-art directional neutron spectrometers. The device was used for the first time to characterise the near-target field produced by an accelerator-driven D–D fusion neutron source. NCT-WES operates as a “parallelised” Bonner spheres spectrometer, embedding six semiconductor-based thermal neutron detectors in a cylindrical moderator. Owing on a cylindrical collimating aperture, the device exhibits sharply directional response. To account for the non-uniform irradiation condition experienced in the near-target field, a dedicated NCT-WES response matrix was developed. The neutron spectrum at 0
from the D–D neutron target, determined by means of the FRUIT unfolding code, is coherent with that previously derived with Bonner spheres. NCT-WES proved to be a promising device for angular spectrometric characterisation of neutron-emitting targets.
© The Author(s) 2022
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