METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR NEUTRON DETECTION UTILIZING PULSE HEIGHT DISCRIMINATION AND PULSE SHAPE DISCRIMINATION

摘要

Embodiments relate to an advanced fast and thermal neutron detector material composition with the properties useful for Special Nuclear Material (SNM) detection. Specific embodiments of the material composition result in two excimer scintillation light production mechanisms that provide two corresponding independent techniques for gamma discrimination; namely Pulse Shape Discrimination and Pulse Height Discrimination. A dual discrimination method, Pulse Shape and Pulse Height Discrimination (PSHD), can be implemented relying on both pulse height discrimination and pulse shape discrimination, and can allow the operation of large area, fast and thermal neutron detectors.

主权项

1. A scintillation system for detecting incident radiation, comprising:
a scintillation composition, wherein the scintillation composition comprises:
a matrix material; andchromophore dye molecules dissolved in the matrix material, wherein the chromophore dye molecules self-assemble to form dimeric chromophores, wherein a concentration of the dimeric chromophores is such that the dimeric chromophores have an average nearest neighbor distance in the range 2 to 15 Angstroms,wherein the dimeric chromophores produce excimer scintillation light upon excitation,wherein the excimer scintillation light has a prompt component and a delayed component, wherein the delayed time component is excimer scintillation light that is produced a delay period of time after excimer scintillation light of the prompt component is produced, wherein an intensity of the prompt component and an intensity of the delayed component provide information so as to allow distinguishing between excimer scintillation light created by a fast neutron being incident on the scintillation composition and excimer scintillation light created by a gamma ray being incident on the scintillation composition.