Radiat. Phys. Chem. Vol. 51, No. 4±6, pp.

475±477, 1998
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NEUTRON ENERGY SPECTRUM OF AN Am±Be SOURCE

BY GAMMA GATED NTOF TECHNIQUE
J. PAL,1 S. SAHA,2 C. C. DEY,2 B. K. SINHA2 and M. B. CHATTERJEE2
1
Radio Therapy Department, S.S.K.M. Hospital, Calcutta, India and 2Saha Institute of Nuclear
Physics, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Calcutta 700064, India

INTRODUCTION at various distances from 50±170 cms from the

Direct measurement of neutron energy is dicult source with a 12.8 cm diameter 2.54 cm thick
unlike energy measurements of ionising NE213 detector. The TOF spectra, generated by a
radiations.The neutron time of ¯ight technique time to amplitude converter (TAC) were recorded
(NTOF) is the only direct method of neutron in a Multi channel analyser (MCA). The neutron
energy spectroscopy (Laurent et al., 1993). time of ¯ight spectra accumulated for several days
Neutrons from 9Be(a,n)12C reaction were studied (2±4 days) are shown in Fig. 2. The time resolution
earlier (Geiger and Van der Zwan, 1975). An Am± of the prompt gammas in such accumulated spectra
Be neutron source produces neutrons through the is 04 ns. The neutron energy spectra were generated
reactions: using the eciency of the neutron detector calcu-
lated by Monte-Carlo simulation (Cecil et al.,
9
Be ‡ a 4 13 C* 4 12 C ‡ n; 1979).

9
Be…a; a 0 †9 Be 4 8 Be ‡ n:
The 5.5 MeV a particles from the 241Am source RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
undergo fusion with 9Be to form the compound
The gamma-gated neutron energy spectra are
nucleus of 13C at an excitation energy of around
shown in Fig. 3. The various neutron groups are
14.4 MeV. However, depending on the thickness of
observed in the spectrum. The neutron energy spec-
Be, the excitation energy of 13C may vary from
tra observed using the time of ¯ight technique agree
10.6 MeV to 14.4 MeV because of energy degra-
qualitatively with the calculated energy spectra
dation of the a particles due to straggling. The
reported by others (Geiger and Van der Zwan,
states in the above mentioned energies are known
1975).
to have large decay widths (Ajzenberg-Selove, 1981)
In the present study, (a,n) cross-sections are not
and they overlap with neighbouring states.
needed for measurement of neutron energy spectra
Moreover, energy straggling of a particles enhances
unlike in the study by Geiger and Van der Zwan
the overlap between resonances.
(1975). Various neutron groups populating the 2‡
Neutrons from such resonances populate various 1
state and higher states of 12C were identi®ed. The
states of 12C depending on the stuctures of these
neutrons populating the ground state which are
states. Neutron energy from the break up reaction
excluded in gamma-gated spectra.
is low and continuous. Around the alpha energy
5.5 MeV, neutron energy from the break up reac-
tion peaks at 0.3 MeV and extends upto 1.5 MeV.
The intensity of neutrons decreases linearly to zero
with decrease in alpha energy.

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

A schematic diagram of the gamma-gated TOF

set up is shown in Fig. 1. The 4.44 MeV gamma-ray
of 12C was detected with a 10.2 cm  10.2 cm
NaI(Tl) detector at a distance of 8 cm from the
50 mCi Am±Be source. The neutrons were detected Fig. 1. A schematic diagram of NTOF set up.

475
476 J. Pal et al.

Fig. 2. Neutron time of ¯ight spectra for source to neutron detector distances 50 and 100 cm.

Fig. 3. Neutron energy spectrum generated from measured neutron time of ¯ight at a distance of 50 cm
from the source.
 Neutron energy spectrum 477

REFERENCES Ajzenberg-Selove, F. (1981) Energy levels of light nuclei

Laurent, H. et al. (1993) EDEN: a neutron time-of-¯ight
multidetector for decay studies of giant resonances.
Nucl. Inst. Meth. A326, 517±525.
Geiger, K. W. and Van der Zwan, L. (1975) Radioactive
neutron source spectra from 9Be(a,n) cross section data.
Nucl. Inst. Meth. 131, 315±321 and references therein.
A = 13±15. Nucl. Phys. A360, 1±186.
Cecil, R. A., Anderson, B. D. and Madey, R.
(1979) Improved predictions of neutron detection e-
ciency for hydrocarbon scintillators from 1 MeV to
about 300 MeV. Nucl. Inst. Meth. 161, 439±
447.